Vincent d’Indy: Orchestral Works Volume 6

This is the sixth and final volume in Chandos’ survey of orchestral works by Vincent d’Indy. The project, with the Iceland Symphony Orchestra and Rumon Gamba, has aimed to bring the composer’s neglected, eclectic, and richly orchestrated works to a wider audience. Exceptionally, this final recording is issued on SACD; previous volumes have garnered many awards, from Volume 1 (Grammy-nominated) and Volume 2 (Gramophone ‘Editor’s Choice’) to Volume 5 (‘Choc de Classica’), confirming Chandos’ reputation as a top label in groundbreaking search for neglected musical gems.

D’Indy’s Wagnerian influences are clearly highlighted both in the three interlinked symphonic ouvertures of Wallenstein, which employ leitmotiv techniques and cyclic themes, and in the Prelude to Act III of Fervaal, d’Indy’s first opera, a work of Wagnerian scale and proportions, displaying the influence of Parsifal.

The three other pieces on the disc were written for small orchestras. The lightweight sophisticated pieces that make up the Sérénade et Valse and the early Lied for Cello and Orchestra contrast with the five-movement Suite dans le style ancien, based on traditional dance forms and reflecting d’Indy’s enthusiasm for early music. The soloist in the Lied, Bryndís Halla Gylfadóttir, is principal cellist in the Iceland Symphony Orchestra.