The French composer Albéric Magnard was killed defending his home in 1914, aged 49. But by then, he had written four powerful symphonies. Fabrice Bollon conducts the Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg in Nos. 1 and 2, the latter of which had a scandalous premiere before being rewritten. The same team released Nos. 3 and 4 to acclaim in 2019.
Featuring
Fabrice Bollon
Philharmonisches Orchester Freiburg
Albéric Magnard
Did you know?
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Critical Reception
Magnard's First Symphony was premiered in Angers in 1893, but was not heard again for a century, receiving a mixed welcome at its premiere.
Compositional Technique
Magnard's First Symphony is entirely based on one principal theme, giving it a sense of continuity consistent with cyclic form.
Performer Biography
Fabrice Bollon, the conductor, studied with notable figures like Michael Gielen, Nikolaus Harnoncourt, Georges Prêtre, and Mauricio Kagel.
Critical Reception
The original version of Magnard's Second Symphony caused a scandal at its 1896 premiere in Nancy, with the audience unimpressed and critics judging it harshly.
Recording & Production
This album is a co-production with Südwestrundfunk, a German public broadcasting institution, and features a Vincent van Gogh painting on its cover.
Composer Biography
Albéric Magnard, the composer, abandoned his law studies at age 20 to devote himself to composition after hearing Wagner's Tristan und Isolde in Bayreuth.
Composer Biography
Magnard died in 1914, defending his home against invading German soldiers, having previously written that the triumph of certain ideas was worth sacrificing one's life.
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Magnard: Symphony No. 1 in C Minor / Symphony No. 3 in B-Flat Minor
