Alberic Magnard - The Complete Symphonies

Alberic Magnard (1865-1914)

Symphonies 1 - 4

and other symphonic works

Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse 

Michel Plasson

Symphonie no 1 in C minor

 Symphonie no 3 in B flat minor

1 Symphonie no 2 in E major

 Hymne a la Justice

 Ouverture

Symphonie no 4 in C sharp minor

Chant funebre

The more acceptable Magnard cycle among limited options

There are currently three complete sets of the Magnard symphonies. Michel Plasson with the Orchestre du Capitole (on EMI), Thomas Sanderling with the Malmo Symphony (on BIS), and Jean-Yves Ossonce with the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (on Hyperion).

Plasson's pioneering set, recorded in the 1970s, offers clear, straightforward presentations with reasonable expressiveness and good energy, and just a tiny tad lacking in weightiness. Plasson is expressive enough but not indulgently ardent, and misses out on some opportunities along the way. Still, Plasson's set, which is just a few degrees short of great, is definitively the strongest on the market. Ossonce's set is somewhat closer to Plasson's in character, but softer-edged, weaker in phrasing, and also feature much quicker tempi, often rushing.

Thomas Sanderling's with the Malmo offers a Teutonic (rather than Gallic) take. He adopts slower tempi in an attempt at spaciousness and gravitas. But this noble attempt, which is indulgently romantic on the more lyrical passages, seems a bit beyond this music, which also demands a grasp of dynamic contrasts, shifting moods, and energy. The result is an overall dullness, which is also not helped by a subtle flatness in recorded sound. In my opinion, Plasson remains the choice among limited and imperfect options. Any of the three are acceptable. In terms of the sets, it comes down to not quite enough weight (Plasson or Ossonce) or too much of it (Sanderling), with Plasson the most overall satisfying of the three. For a one-off recording of the Magnard Third symphony, one that gets more things right, look for Ernest Ansermet's old recording with the L'Orchestre du la Suisse Romande.

The symphonies of Alberic Magnard are intriguing and worthwhile works. The composer's sound that has been described as "French Bruckner", "French Mahler" (Mahler is closer), and also compared to Franck, with influences of Wagner prominent throughout, with a little of D'Indy and Debussy. These are noble, dynamic works bursting with content, from heaven storming marches to gorgeous pastoral meditations. While there is some truth to these comparisons (the Wagnerian elements in Magnard that are common to Mahler and Bruckner, to me, stand out), it more fair to say that Magnard was an eclectic original and the symphonies stand among the best. This composer deserves greater recognition---and better recordings than there are.