Review by the Arts Desk
"Still, it gets a phenomenal performance here from Christoph König’s Solistes Européens Luxembourg, the playing full of fire"
Beethoven: Symphony No 3, Méhul: Symphony No 1 Solistes Européens Luxembourg/Christoph König (Rubicon)
Étienne-Nicolas Méhul was one of revolutionary France’s key musicans. He was commissioned by Napoleon to write his Chant national du 14 juillet 1800 , the work serving for a time as an unofficial national anthem. Best remembered as an operatic composer, he also left behind five symphonies. This Symphony in G minor, dating from 1808, is a fascinating discovery. Dripping with angst, it recalls Haydn's stormier symphonies and has a finale with a motif sounding uncannily like Beethoven’s contemporaneous 5thSymphony. The two composers knew each other, though the similarity is probably just coincidence. Repeated listenings suggest why Méhul’s symphony isn't well known: whilst the tunes are striking, and the energy infectious, there just aren't enough surprises. Plus, a glimpse at the score (it's downloadable on the IMSLP website) confirms that Méhul's orchestration is more workmanlike than inspired. Still, it gets a phenomenal performance here from Christoph König’s Solistes Européens Luxembourg, the playing full of fire.
Maybe if the apt coupling wasn't Beethoven’s Eroica , you wouldn't notice Méhul’s shortcomings. This music is audibly in a different league, in terms of ambition, technique and scoring. König's reading is predictably exciting, though the first movement’s crashing, dissonant chords don't shock as they should. Still, the same movement's huge coda is glorious, followed by a taut funeral march. Horns are on fine form in the Scherzo, and Beethoven’s baggy finale doesn't sprawl. An entertaining disc – recorded, oddly, as long ago as 2011-2012. Can the same team give us more Méhul, please?
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