Moravian Chess

Daniel-François-Esprit Auber was one of the most famous composers of the 19th century, giving definitive form to the uniquely French genres of grand historical opera and opéra-comique. His overtures became famous all over the world for their dancing elegance and fluent melodies, a reflection both of his genial personality and of the Parisian taste and refinement of his day. This programme includes overtures and entr’actes from Auber’s most famous opera about the notorious robber-chief Fra Diavolo, and from one of his least known works, La Fiancée du Roi de Garbe. Volume 2 of this edition (8.574006) was acclaimed as ‘wonderfully articulated and lovingly brought to life’ by MusicWeb International.

Charles Roland Berry, born in Boston, Mass., in 1957, studied in California with Peter Racine Fricker and Paul Creston before supporting himself in a variety of jobs in the music world. As a composer, he believes in writing music that audiences might like to hear and musicians enjoy playing; as a result, all three works here have the open-air, open-hearted, even naïve, quality of much American orchestral music, film scores in particular – the kind of ‘Big Country’ sound that one can hear in Copland, Grofe, Harris, Moross and other painters of the wide outdoors.

If I've ever owned a recording of an orchestral work by Vincent D'Indy I don't recall it. Nor do I remember ever hearing anything of his in the concert hall. I've heard a recording of his 'Symphony on a French Mountain Air', of course, and vaguely recall hearing something from his opera 'Fervaal', but that's about it. I knew of him primarily as co-founder of the Paris Schola Cantorum and as a guardian (and teacher) of conservative compositional techniques, stemming from his study with Franck and his admiration of Wagner. I was not, therefore, prepared to be particularly impressed by anything of his. But this recording of three of his works the Second Symphony, 'Tableaux de voyage' suite, and 'Karadec' – has shown me that he was indeed an interesting and engaging composer.