Vincent d'Indy's first symphony
This remarkable work is finally available in print, which processes the impressions of a trip to Italy.
There are music publishers who complain about the continuing hardship of the business in the face of media change. And there are music publishers who simply publish something new and surprising. These include the Lyon-based Editions Symétrie, a publishing house that has focused its ambitious program primarily on French music and music history - and for this reason is probably hardly known in German-speaking countries. However, it is worth taking a look at the catalog, because it does not contain petitessen, but numerous (first) editions of works of great format, such as Vincent d'Indy's first contribution to the symphonic repertoire. Premiered in its entirety on April 14, 2005 (!) in Yerevan (Armenia) and already recorded twice (2007 and 2010), the score of the work is now finally available.
Writing with youthful fire, d'Indy (1851-1931) reflected on his own trip to Italy in this composition, written in 1870/72, which is already recognizable from the movement headings: Rome, Florence, Venice and Naples. Although the Scherzo, which is strongly reminiscent of Mendelssohn, was well received at a performance in the Concerts Pasdeloup, d'Indy had soon developed stylistically and refrained from printing the work, which today could represent a fine addition to the repertoire. The slow movement in particular, with its multiply divided strings, will not fail to make an impact.
However, the present edition would have deserved more attention from an experienced editor: this concerns the layout of the pages, the frequently changing accolades (e.g. p. 32 ff.) or the generously interpreted engraving rules. There is also a lack of information about the source(s) used, readings and any adaptations made. Furthermore, the edition does not consist of a bound volume, but of a bundle of three A4 booklets. The days when such an edition was only of interest to philologists and collectors are over.
Vincent d'Indy: Symphonie no. 1 en la mineur "italienne", score, € 70.00, Éditions Symétrie, Lyon, ISMN 979-0-2318-0233-7
