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Article: Franck: Psyche,.(New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, New York)(Review)
- Article from:
- New Criterion
- Article date:
- January 1, 1998
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 1998 Foundation for Cultural Review. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Psyche, by Cesar Franck, at the New York Philharmonic, Lincoln Center, New York.
Psyche, the last and most ambitious of Cesar Franck's poemes-symphoniques, has had more than its share of bad luck. The piece was initially welcomed by critics when first performed in 1888, and was subsequently admired by biographers and commentators, but Psyche has never found a secure place in the repertoire.
Part of the problem lies in the genre. Unlike operas and symphonies, which more easily transcend their period, the symphonic poem is very much a phenomenon of the nineteenth century. It impresses most modern listeners as sprawling, sentimental, and without structure. ...