Franck- Symphony in D Minor, Part I
Cesar Franck finished his D Minor Symphony at age 66, just 2 years before his death due to complications surrounding a traffic accident in 1890. Written in an unusual blend of French cyclic form and the more “common” German forms and instrumentation, the symphony is full of strange and wonderful surprises. Its premiere in Paris on February 17, 1889 marked the end of nearly 50 years of symphonic drought in France since Hector Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique.
Set in three movements instead of the traditional four, the symphony has many quirks that raised eyebrows in the musical establishment. The english horn was never seen as a solo instrument, and the lengthy solo in the second movement was a lightning rod for criticism. The recurrence of themes from the first two movements in the third clearly pays homage to Beethoven, although the restatements are not as explicit as they are in Beethoven’s Ninth. Franck, an organist, has been criticized for his dull orchestration, ineffective use of the woodwinds, and, among other things, disobedience to the classical forms. While some of these certainly have merit (the first movement exposition is particularly long), the symphony remains Franck’s most popular work.
- Lento- Allegro ma non troppo
- Allegretto
- Allegro ma non troppo
I. Lento- Allegro ma non troppo
Theme one is introduced immediately without introduction in the low strings. A mournful wind chord sounds at the end of the first phrase of the theme before a gentle string descent (0:34) lead into four note motives that rise and fall and finally a rising arpeggio with a quiet timpani roll (1:09). Quietly humming strings nervously rise and fall before the horns play the second statement of theme one (1:33) underneath a slowly rising string tremolo. This section is repeated with the theme in the winds at 1:53 and again in the low brass (2:13). The theme finally boils over, and it is now played angrily by the low strings at double the speed of the opening statement. This section very much resembles a storm as the strings play a sharp dotted descent reminiscent of a bolt of lightning, followed immediately by thundering brass and timpani (2:42). A quiet string descent leads to winds timidly rising, immediately silenced by the low strings, brass, and timpani at 2:59 but resolving to a cadential chord after that last burst of thunder.
Theme one begins to repeat at 3:10, only this time centered on F instead of D as in the initial statement. It is played in the low strings beginning at 3:10 and followed by another gentle string descent (3:42). Rising and falling figures in the orchestra as well as tremolos in the strings begin to rise at 4:41 over the restatement of theme one in the horns. The winds and trumpets repeat the phrase before the storm hits again at 5:38. At the conclusion of this passage, however, the chord in the winds ushers in the mini-introduction to theme two (6:14); two rising figures in the strings each progressively wider on the staff. Smaller rising and falling figures follow in the strings before another ascent sequences the phrase an octave higher (6:31). Playful dotted descents in the flutes contribute to the mood of the piece (6:42) over rising figures in the low strings before theme two in full form finally emerges after an orchestral ascent at 6:56.
Theme two is very compact- the first phrase never moves more than a major third away from the opening A. The first orchestral statement of the theme is repeated over swelling low brass before string ascents and descents in tremolo quiet and give way to an ascent (7:47) that travels around the orchestra, ending in the flutes. High strings play quiet, descending two note figures which are immediately echoed by the low strings. The horns play theme two at 8:10 over a descending wind line. More descending two note figures in the strings lead to theme two in the oboe over descending winds who then switch- the flutes playing the theme and the oboe accompanying. The strings sequence the opening motive of theme two downwards and modulate (9:04), leading to the development.
The development begins with theme two being played in the low strings, soon joined by theme one in the high strings. A pair of huge descending scales (9:30) in the violins are echoed in turn by the low strings. Descending winds against ascending, pizzicato strings lead to powerful tutti string chords (10:01) followed by a rising 3-note motive in the low brass repeated by the trumpet. The brass play a series of dotted figures at 10:17 with theme one motives in the strings and winds. The section is repeated by the low brass, this time sequencing the dotted rhythm upwards. Strings and brass descend (10:34) against a rising line in the orchestra, which is then sequenced upwards three times before dying down to theme two motives in the winds at 10:56. The flutes tenderly play theme two at 11:13 which is followed by a theme one motive in the low strings. The clarinet echoes the flute, again met with the same response in the strings. At 11:38 the strings begin to repeat the first theme two motive and the tempo begins to pick up. The strings are answered by the low strings and brass before massive four-note descents in the low brass begin a very powerful, minor version of theme two at 12:07. The low brass and trumpets play what’s almost funeral music as the strings tremolo in the background. Four note descents in the strings and brass lead to another passage of theme two in minor before more four-note descents.
At 13:12, four-note rising motives above theme one figures in the low brass build and explode back into the fast version of theme one (13:33, signalling the beginning of the recapitulation. Rapid, nervously-playing strings thrum energetically beneath a series of descents in the orchestra. The first phrase of theme one in almost orchestral unison is heard at 14:04 and followed by a long descent. The winds play theme one motives that modulate back to major, which ushers in theme two at 14:29. Theme two is recapitulated faithfully, and the music returns to the pleasant sighs of the violins and low strings at 16:15. Theme two in the winds at 16:26 end with a brief pause, ending the recapitulation and beginning the coda.
The coda begins with the alternating two-note “sigh” motives in the strings, which are soon taken up by the winds and the piece modulates back to minor. The sighs are sequenced upwards, and at 17:20 deep calls from the low brass are answered by string descents and wind trills. Theme one motives return in the brass and sequence upwards. Stinging fortissimo tuttis in the brass augmented by the timpani (17:41) are followed by descending figures in the brass and strings before a chromatic rising and falling line in the entire orchestra tumbles into a series of massive four-note descents (17:51). A broad, sweeping theme one in the entire orchestra remains dark before the key miraculously modulates back to major in the last two chords of the movement.
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If you are interested in listening to a recording, I recommend Ricardo Muti’s 1999 recording with the Philadelphia Orchestra on EMI. You can buy this recording from Amazon by clicking on the image below. Alternatively, you can purchase this recording from the iTunes Music Store often at a reduced price by following the link below.
This article is part of the Music 365 series. To find out more about this project, please visit the project homepage.
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