Around 1850 in Paris, opera held absolute primacy in public musical life, while the symphony genre was considered overly academic and unappealing.
Composer Biography
Charles Gounod, the composer, was exposed to German instrumental music and Beethoven's works through Fanny Hensel, Felix Mendelssohn's sister, during his Prix de Rome scholarship in Italy.
Composition History
Gounod composed his two symphonies in 1855, within a year, as a way to 'console' himself after the failure of his opera 'La nonne sanglante'.
Recording & Production
Symphony No. 1 was recorded live at the Royal Concertgebouw in Amsterdam in February 2013, while Symphony No. 2 was recorded at NedPhO-Koepel in Amsterdam in June 2014.
Critical Reception
Despite the prevailing disinterest in symphonies, Gounod's symphonies enjoyed a 'favourable reception' and 'certain degree of success' with the public and critics, being performed eleven times in Paris over the following decade.
Compositional Technique
Gounod's First Symphony shows clear influences from Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven, including two opening chords reminiscent of Beethoven's 'Eroica' and Seventh Symphony.
Performer Biography
Gordan Nikolic, the artistic director of the Netherlands Chamber Orchestra, is a master violinist who has performed with numerous European orchestras and plays a Petrus Guarnerius violin built in 1735.
