Soundbite 60: A sixty-word précis-review of the latest CD releases
Gounod Symphonies Colin Anderson
Gounod
Symphony No.1 in D
Symphony No.2 in E flat
Sinfonia Finlandia Jyväskylä
Patrick Gallois
Recorded 13-15 May 2004 in the Concert Hall, Suolahti, Finland
CD No: NAXOS 8.557463 | Duration: 68 minutes
Charles Gounod (1818-93) – who composed the opera “Faust” – wrote two symphonies that are sheer delight. No.1 sparkles with joie de vivre and has a fund of tunes; fans of Bizet’s adorable symphony will love it. Symphony No.2 is weightier, always mellifluous, full of ideas, and with a smile-inducing finale. These sympathetic, well-recorded performances are a snip at Naxos’s budget price.