Top Shelf Silvestri: The HMV Recordings, Part Three

Welcome to our third installment in our ongoing series dedicated to the HMV recordings of Romanian conductor, composer, and pianist, Constantin Silvestri (1913-1969). 

La Voix de Son Maitre ASDF 668

Franck: Symphony in D Minor

Philharmonia Orchestra

Constantin Silvestri, conductor

Matrix numbers: 2YEA 374-4 / 375-4

HMV ASD 408 is another relatively rare Silvestri album, recorded on January 8th and March 5th, 1959 at Kingsway Hall and released in 1961. Popsike shows 28 auction sales over the last 5 years; from 2003-2024, the median and maximum sale prices were $119 and $410 USD, respectively. I chose to try a second pressing of the French ASDF for $11 USD (the first pressing was ASDF 180), which has the same stamper numbers as those used for the UK ASD and comes in a thick cardboard sleeve with abstract cover art and a wooden dowel spine. The UK ASD cover is shown below:

HMV ASD 408 (Courtesy of Discogs)

My first exposure to the Franck Symphony in D minor was in university, when we performed this in the Philharmonia, the university orchestra for non-music majors; I played in the second violin section. Initially, I found the piece somewhat slow-paced and heavy, particularly the lengthy first movement. However, after a few weeks of rehearsals, things began to come together for us, and the symphony began to grow on me as I could hear its beautiful melodies and better understand how the parts fit together as a whole. By the time we reached the date of our concert, I had developed a newfound appreciation for the work and have been seeking out great recordings of the symphony ever since. 

The Philharmonia under Silvestri's direction performs the symphony beautifully. To my ears, the sound is similar to that of other Philharmonia/Kingsway Hall recordings of this era:  warm and rich with nice bass extension and a slightly more distant (mid-hall) presentation. On my copy, I detected a touch of congestion in some of the more powerful orchestral climaxes of the third movement, but this didn't take away from my listening enjoyment.

Excerpt from first movement

Excerpt from second movement

Excerpt from third movement

The critics had mixed feedback for this record, ranging from more positive to more critical:

• The Stereo Record Guide, Vol. 3 gave it a qualified three stars **(*) and a demonstration "D" (demonstration-worthy on first-class equipment). In comparing this version with that of Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony (RCA LSC-2131), the reviewer noted: "... So I would personally turn to Silvestri which is vivid and exciting and with a similar buoyance in the outer movements. There are surprisingly few mannerisms and the powerful Philharmonia string and brass sections which are richly, clearly and sonorously recorded make a high impact."

• Per the EMG Monthly Letter, reviewing the mono version (HMV ALP 1831): "Silvestri's tendency to re-think a composer's phrasing to the point of turning it inside out, is not as evident in this performance as we feared, although he does pull the second movement about rather more than is good for it. The playing of the Philharmonia is excellent but for us the performance fails through a fatal lack of impetus in the outer movements. This is not a question of tempo (although Silvestri's tempi are on the fast side) but of rhythmic point and drive. This is what we would term a static view of an already static symphony and the work needs a Sir Thomas to present it in the best possible light. Fortunately we have his excellent account of it available on disc and he is, moreover, recorded with a warmer and more spacious acoustic than Silvestri." 

A number of budget reissues are also available, including a 1962 Australian World Record Club (SPE-717, with different stamper numbers 2YS 196/197) and a 1973 Classics for Pleasure (CFP 40090). I haven't had a chance to listen to these, but based on my prior experience with these labels, I'd wager that they'd be very good alternatives to the originals.