Charles Gounod - Symphony No. 1 in D major (1854)

Charles-François Gounod (17 June 1818 – 18 October 1893), usually known as Charles Gounod, was a French composer. He wrote twelve operas, of which the most popular has always been Faust (1859); his Roméo et Juliette (1867) also remains in the international repertory. He composed a large amount of church music, many songs, and popular short pieces including his Ave Maria (an elaboration of a Bach piece), and Funeral March of a Marionette.

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Symphony No. 1 in D major (1853-54)

I. Allegro molto (0:00)
II. Allegretto moderato (6:06)
III. Scherzo. Non troppo presto (11:07)
IV. Finale. Adagio – Allegro vivace (18:01)

Gounod found it liberating to write absolute music with no staging or dramatic requierments. He added a pair of outer movements to make the work a symphony (speeding up the tempo marking of the slow movement a little bit to "Allegretto moderato"). The result is a nice symphony of classical proportions (about twenty-eight minutes), restrained emotions, good humor, and bright, clear orchestration.

*First complete performance. Movements II, III were premiered at the Salle Hertz by Paseldoup on February 4, 1855. This work was probably the model for the Bizet: Symphony in C major. Bizet arranged this work for piano duet shortly before starting work on his own first symphony.