Classic

Simon Le Duc (1742 1777) Complete Symphonic Works (La Stagione Frankfurt)

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Found this CD in my library that has it as a brand-new acquisition. Never heard of Simon le Duc before. Just two words come to mind after hearing the first beats of the music: ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS! If you like the symphonic works of Mozart and Beethoven, you will like this music too. It's pure joy to listen to this music and discover it's originality and beauty. That Parisian composer grew only 35 years old.

From the New Grove Dictionary:
(b Paris, 15 Jan 1742; d Paris, Jan 1777). Violinist, composer and publisher. A pupil of Gavinies, he was a second violinist in the Concert Spirituel orchestra in 1759 and made his debut as soloist in 1763. In 1763 he was one of the first violins in the Concert Spirituel orchestra, and he continued to appear as an orchestral player and soloist until his death. He earned consistently favourable reviews in the Parisian press and received an understated compliment in Leopold Mozart's travel diary of 1763-4: 'He plays well'.

Despite his success, however, Leduc decided to devote the greater part of his efforts to pursuits other than virtuoso performance. He took great care in teaching his brother Pierre, whom he apparently considered a greater violinist than himself. He composed exceptionally fine orchestral and chamber music, publishing some of it under a privilege granted on 17 March 1768, retroactive from 16 December 1767. (Simon never published any works but his own, the general privilege of 1 September 1767 notwithstanding; it was Pierre who undertook to develop a fully-fledged publishing business.)

In 1773 Leduc assumed the directorship of the Concert Spirituel with Gavinies and Gossec, and soon earned the applause of the press for a noticeable improvement in the quality of these concerts. He was clearly a well-loved director; shortly after his death, the orchestra, trying to prepare one of his symphonies for a forthcoming performance, was collectively so overcome with grief that the rehearsal had to be suspended. His friends paid tribute to his memory in a religious service on 22 March 1777, at which Gossec's Messe des morts was performed.

Leduc's compositions, exclusively instrumental, compare favourably with those of any other young composer of his time. The writing is skilful and idiomatic, particularly for the violin; the harmonies are inventive, expressive, and often unusually chromatic. Painstakingly notated nuances, frequent dynamic contrasts and expressive harmonic progressions contribute to a style which has been called a 'French Storm and Stress'.

Click to see cover picture

Symphony (No 2) in D major
Orchestral Trio op. 2,2 in G minor
Symphony (No 3) in E flat major
Orchestral Trio op. 2,3 in B flat major
Orchestral Trio op. 2,1 in D major
Symphony (No 1) in D major

Performers: La Stagione Frankfurt (on period instruments), Michael Schneider.
Label: cpo

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