1. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 1. Lento - Allegro non troppo
2. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 2. Allegretto - Poco pi lento - Tempo 1
3. Symphony in D minor, Op. 48: 3. Allegro non troppo
4. Psych Suite, for orchestra: 1. Sommeil de Psych: Lento
5. Psych Suite, for orchestra: 2. Psych enleve par les zphyrs: Allegro vivo
6. Psych Suite, for orchestra: 3. Les jardins d'ros: Poco animato - Un peu plus large
7. Psych Suite, for orchestra: 4. Psych et ros: Allegretto modr

Barenboim doggedly lays bare the romantically charged substance of Francks two works. Plenty of bark and bite.

The Henri Duparc-dedicated Symphony enjoys a heavyweight reading with plenty of bark and bite. It sports a massive stomping Brahmsian power and a steady and sometimes ponderously swung pulse. This also carries over into the romantically pensive second movement. Tempest and smiling tenderness work their steady and sometimes spirited spell over the finale. Theres a deliberation about this reading that will have you hearing the symphony in a new and welcome light.

As for Psych this is a work I found and still find revelatory. It presented Franck in a far more sensuous light than you may have expected from the Symphony and the Symphonic Variations. As for Barenboims reading it is sumptuous, starry-eyed, voluptuous, grand and a shade sleepy rather than priapically urgent. That said it is not lacking in Ariel balletic flightiness - for example, in the Psych Enleve Par Les Zphyrs episode.

Good notes by Malcolm Macdonald.

Brand new/sealed