Alsatian composer Théodore Gouvy (1819-1898) composed seven symphonies, making him one of the few French composers of his day to focus on abstract instrumental music. The fact that he was independently wealthy helped, but even so, and like his compatriot Berlioz, he enjoyed greater success in Germany (Leipzig especially) than he did in France. That said, the music on offer here sounds distinctly French in its supple rhythms, light textures, and piquant scoring for winds and harp (in the slow movement of the Third Symphony). The handling of form is also very assured given the music’s mid-19th-century provenance.
Most importantly, Gouvy’s themes often sound strikingly beautiful, particularly in his slow movements. You will surely wonder if Tchaikovsky knew the Third Symphony’s slow movement, with its lovely horn solo, or if he was thinking of the first movement’s leaping second subject for woodwinds when he conceived the strikingly similar idea in his own Fifth symphony. In short, Gouvy had a sufficiently strong musical personality to rise well above the period average for symphonic composition.
Why, then, did he vanish into near total obscurity? The fact that he was French surely had something to do with it, as German nationalism and the rise of Wagner and Brahms reduced tolerance for “foreign” influences in traditional “German” musical forms. And it has to be said that the music does lack a certain symphonic muscle–an impression that perhaps is exacerbated by these very proficient and enjoyable but perhaps just a touch subdued (in the brass and timpani department) performances. Even with this tiny reservation, however, I can recommend this very well-engineered disc with no hesitation whatsoever to collectors of unfamiliar but worthy 19th-century symphonies. [5/12/2009]
