Thierry Fischer: BBC National Orchestra of Wales - Indy: Wallenstein & other orchestral works

Vincent d�Indy is one of many great nineteenth-century composers whose reputation has suffered through the vagaries of fashion. Yet his fine body of works shows an imaginatively eclectic engagement with the musical trends of his age and a significant orchestral ability greater than that of his revered teacher Cesar Franck. This disc from Thierry Fischer and The BBC National Orchestral of Wales presents a fascinating selection of d�Indy�s orchestral works.Wallenstein, an early and substantial programmatic work, reflects d�Indy�s love of Germany and its culture. Based on a poetic drama by Schiller about doomed love in the Thirty Years� War, it consists of three interlinked symphonic orvertures, employing cyclic themes and other Wagnerian techniques. The superbly poetic symphonic poem Saugefleurie is also a programmatic work. Although the influence of Wagner is again apparent, the music is characteristically French in its sonorous refinement and clear luminous orchestration.Two charming and brilliantly conceived single-movement works for solo viola and orchestra showcase the talents of Hyperion artist Lawrence Power.