<<<  <<  -- 4 --  Howard Smith    SECOND FIDDLE?

In the more concise, powerful, and engaging 4th Symphony, appealing rhythms carry the music forward though the second movement -- Lento molto -- is apt to meander toward its somewhat grandiose twin climaxes. Again Eschenbach welds the score together with obvious assurance [listen -- track 8, 2:41-4:00].

There's no doubting Roussel's fluent (sometimes inspired) orchestration, his sense of purpose, the fund of ideas and both scores' immediate accessibility. Beside that these are far better than simply acceptable recordings/performances. So why do I find the music so 'ho-hum'?

I don't doubt I'm raising the ire of avid Rousselians. Oh well; guess it's my long-standing addiction to such as Scarlatti, Schubert, Sibelius, Shostakovitch, Schnittke, Sondheim; and the '3 Bs'.

Between you and me, tops among my personal de rigeur French composers are Berlioz, Maurice Ravel, his oft-maligned countryman, Camille Saint-Saëns, Massenet, and doyen of irrepressible 'champagne operettas' -- Jacques Offenbach. Whoops, I almost forgot -- Debussy too.

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