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.
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