Symphony No. 2 / Souvenirs / Istar (Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Tingaud)

Vincent d’Indy is one of the most important yet neglected figures in French musical history. Though he was celebrated as a teacher, his eclectic yet inventive orchestral music has taken longer to secure him fame. The Symphony No. 2 in B flat major has a powerful architectural design within which tensions between tradition and innovation are played out, and through which the composer draws on folk motifs and his religious faith alike. The powerful, grief-laden symphonic poem Souvenirs was dedicated to the memory of his late wife whilst Istar is a majestic series of variations. The Prelude to Fervaal, his first opera, reveals atmospheric Wagnerian writing.