These RCA recordings of César Franck's major orchestral works vary somewhat in fidelity, resonance, and depth, but the reproduction problems are not serious enough to detract from the artistic values of the performances. The 1957 reading of the Symphony in D minor may seem too muted in timbres (except for the extremely penetrating trumpets), murky in the lower strings, and perhaps over-homogenized in the blending of sections; but
Charles Münch's interpretation is so propulsive, and the
Boston Symphony Orchestra's ensemble playing so incisive, that the occasionally thick sonorities become a minor distraction. What counts is the excitement and vitality
Münch generates in the orchestra, a kind of rough shaking that lifts this Symphony out of the doldrums of familiarity and staid respectability. The sound improves substantially on the 1963 recording of the Symphonic Variations for piano and orchestra, and pianist
Leonard Pennario is distinctly positioned in front of the orchestra. Firmly directed by
Arthur Fiedler, the
BSO provides a resilient, grounded accompaniment to
Pennario's fluid rubato playing; this "push-me-pull-you" effect subtly points up the work's tensions. Le Chasseur maudit, recorded in 1962 with
Münch, is the most luxuriant in tone and expression, and perhaps the most enjoyable for its abundant displays of the
BSO's blazing brass.