Search - Chausson, Munch, Bso :: Symphony

Given Charles Munch's success with the Franck Symphony in D Minor, you would expect him to do just as well with the Chausson. This attractive composition would be much more popular if it had a nickname, and the one that most suits it would undoubtedly be "The Revenge of the Franck Symphony in D Minor," since Chausson was a pupil of Franck's and basically copied the entire concept from his teacher. That's not to say there aren't original features: Chausson's symphony saves its most anguished music for the finale (with Franck it's the first movement), and ends quietly (Franck ends in triumph); but the basic idea, in which themes recur from one movement to another, is Franck's. Pretty music, then, and a great performance. Nice couplings, too. --David Hurwitz