Théodore Gouvy (1819-1898)
Nonetto (1883)
Sérénade for octet
Septuor (1887)
Ensemble Arabesques
rec. 2024, Immanuelskirche Wuppertal, Germany
Reviewed as lossless download
Farao Classics B108127 [68]

During his lifetime, the Saarland-born Gouvy was apparently considered too French by some, and too German by others, and this may have contributed to his disappearance from the repertoire in the 20^th century. Now his music is receiving attention again, thanks to a number of labels, among them cpo which has several releases of his symphonies and trios. Here Ensemble Arabesques presents three works for wind instruments (with double bass).

I have remarked many times in reviews that lesser composers have the tendency to overstretch their material and end up with uninspired note-spinning. Gouvy does not make this mistake: none of the twelve movements outstays its welcome, ranging from under four minutes to just over nine, the majority around five.

If I was required to summarise these three works in one word (and of course I’m not), it would be “genial”. The Sérénade typifies this: it is even evident from the movement titles – Pastorale, Intermezzo, Canzonetta and Rondo giocoso – that the music you will hear is going to be light-at-heart, tuneful and pleasing to the ear. I could apply the same adjectives to the other two works as well, and that might be where a hint of criticism could apply: it is a trifle difficult to know where one work stops and the next one starts. The difference in scoring between the three works is subtle, only varying in the number of oboes and bassoons (or at least that is my understanding, as the booklet notes are not helpful). While it is not music that will stop you in your tracks and insist that you listen with full attention, it does reward you by the continuous flow of melody and the interesting colours that a wind ensemble creates.

This is the fourth single-composer recording by the German group Ensemble Arabesques for Farao Classics, the previous three – Holst (review), Poulenc (review) and Ibert (review) – all being very well received by my colleagues. Two years ago, I reviewed their release of works by Ibert, Emil Hartmann and Dvořák, and my opinion was the same. With Gouvy, they have delved deep into the realms of the unsung. I can only find a single other recording of the Septuor on the obscure Phaia label, and none of the Nonetto and Sérénade. While Ensemble Arabesques have the field pretty much to themselves, it is clear these are very fine performances, even without the benefit of comparison. The sound quality is very good as well. Sadly, I can’t say the same about the booklet notes, which only deal with Gouvy’s life and say literally nothing about the three pieces. The dates in the header for two of them were found on Wikipedia.

So as long as you aren’t expecting masterworks of the stature of Dvořák’s Wind Serenade, you will find an hour-plus of thoroughly enjoyable music, given performances that bring out its best.

David Barker

Other review: Michael Cookson (October 2025)