Previous volumes of
Stéphane Denève's series of recordings of Albert Roussel's symphonies, with the
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, have been praised by English and American critics for their "energy, enthusiasm, and panache." That may be true about earlier releases, but this disc of the French composer's Symphony No. 1, "La poème de la forêt," his symphonic prelude Résurrection, and incidental music to "Le marchand de sable qui passe," conspicuously lacks those qualities.
Denève seems to be an able enough conductor, and the orchestra is a more than competent ensemble, but the performances here are no more than able and competent. In the symphony and symphonic prelude, textures are hazy and a bit opaque; colors are fuzzy and a tad dissipated; rhythms are dutiful, verging on dull; and tempos are placid, verging on insipid. It could be argued that Roussel's early works invite this sort of impressionistic treatment. But in the right performances, such as those of
Charles Dutoit and
Marek Janowski, there is impressionism as well as the crucial qualities of clarity and lucidity, without which Roussel does not sound at all like Roussel. This performance of incidental music to "Le marchand de sable qui passe" is more successful, principally because the music is lighter, leaner, cleaner, and more tuneful, qualities that do not invite (or get) the impressionistic treatment. Naxos' slightly blurry digital sound does these performances no favors.