Various messages on this thread last month prompted me to do some research into Magnard and his music. Here's what I've found to date. Peter Lundin hoped for an opus list: Op. 1 Trois pieces, for piano, 1888 Op. 2 Suite d'orchestre dans le style ancien, G min, piano 4 hands, 1888, rev. 1889 Op. 3 6 poemes en musique, voice and piano, 1887-90 Op. 4 Symphony No. 1 in C minor, 1890 Op. 5 Yolande, opera in 1 act, 1891 Op. 6 Symphony No. 2 in E major, 1893 Op. 7 Promenades, for piano, 1893 Op. 8 Quintet for piano and winds, D minor, 1894 Op. 9 Chant funebre, for orchestra, 1895 Op. 10 Ouverture pour orchestre, 1895 Op. 11 Symphony No. 3 in B flat minor, 1896 Op. 12 Guercoeur, opera in three acts, 1900 Op. 13 Violin Sonata in G major, 1901 Op. 14 Hymne a la Justice, for orchestra, 1902 Op. 15 4 poemes en musique, baritone and piano, 1902 Op. 16 String Quartet in E minor, 1903 Op. 17 Hymne a Venus, for orchestra, 1904 Op. 18 Piano Trio in F minor, 1904 Op. 19 Berenice, opera in 3 acts, 1909 Op. 20 Cello Sonata in A major, 1910 Op. 21 Symphony No. 4 in C sharp minor, 1913 Also: En Dieu mon esperance et mon epee pour ma defense, for piano, 1893 A Henriette, for voice and piano, 1892 12 poemes en musique, for voice and piano (lost), 1913-14 Bob Draper wanted to know aht was available apart from the symphonies. Interestingly for a relatively minor figure with a small, eclectic output, practically everything except the operas and the Hymne a Venus are recorded and currently available on CD. The following list is based on US sources and does not take into account the EMI recording of Guercoeur which Peter Lundin mentioned, since I can't find it. Also, I have not found the disc numbers for the BIS release of Symphonies 1 and 3 as yet. Hyperion CDA 67030 Symphonies 1 and 2 BBC Scottish SO, Ossonce Hyperion CDA 67040 Symphonies 3 and 4 BBC Scottish SO, Ossonce BIS Symphonies 1 and 3 Malmo SO, Sanderling Musical Heritage Society 535394W (3 disc set) Symphonies 1,2 3 and 4, Hymne a la Justice, Ouverture, Chant funebre Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, Plasson (I believe this set is issued on EMI in the UK) Accord ACD 200752 (5 disc reissue of complete chamber music) Violin Sonata; Trois pieces; En Dieu mon esperance; Cello Sonata; Promenades' String Quartet; Quintet for Piano and Winds; Piano Trio; Poemes en musique Opp. 3 & 15; Suite dans le style ancien Various artists Tall Poppies TP 081 Promenades (with Alkan Op. 39 and Preludes) Stephanie McCallum CBC MVCD 1097 Quintet (with Caplet Flute Quintet) Montreal Societe des Vents Valois V4807 Cello Sonata; Piano Trio Huseyni Sermet, Xavier Phillips and Regis Pasquier Agora AG 097.1 Violin Sonata (with Franck Violin Sonata) Emmanuelle and Lorenzo Baldini Pierre Verany PVY 730068 Violin Sonata (with Franck Violin Sonata) Monique Frasca-Colombier, Michelle Langot Koch Schwann 3-6712-2 Quintet for Piano and Winds (with Caplet Flute Quintet) Trio Ozi, Benoit Fromanger, Laurent Martin If anyone knows of any other recordings on CD, I would be interested in learning about them. Lucien-Denis-Gilbert-Alberic Magnard (9 Jun 1865 - 3 Sep 1914) should have been created as the lead character in Moliere's "Le Misanthrope." He seems to have been sour and taciturn, spending much of his life trying to prove he could stand on his own two feet and did not require or seek the help of his father, the celebrated editor of Le Figaro till his death in 1894, which sparked Alberic's interesting and introspective Chant funebre. He seems to have had few friends and generated a lot of antipathy in his life, not least for being on the side of the unjustly imprisoned Jewish officer in the Dreyfus Affair, for whom he wrote the 1902 Hymne a la Justice -- sonorous and big-boned music with something thoughtful to say. One of the things which has amazed me listening to as much of his music as I have been able to get hold of at short notice is he seems to echo people who come after him! What I mean is there are many instances where a musical identity shines through which makes you sit up and say "Ah -- Mahler's Second" -- only to find out Magnard wrote his piece four years earlier. The same happens with Strauss, with Glazunov (same age!) even with Benjamin Britten (a section in the Second Symphony strongly reminiscent of Young Person's Guide) and (God help me) even a theme in the First Symphony which I swear is Andrew Lloyd-Webber to the life! Maybe he isn't one of the greatest composers who has ever lived and maybe his music is caught up in a lifelong search for perfection of form at the cost of expressive ability. A pupil of d'Indy (and a professor of counterpoint at d'Indy's Schola Cantorum for a few years) he was heavily influenced by the Franck circle (the cyclic principle is luminously evident in the first two symphonies) but also by the music of Berlioz and Wagner. Considering he was 21 before he showed any interest in or talent for music, I think his lamentably small output is pretty damn good. It sure as heck deserves a wider audience -- so at least do yourselves a favor and get hold of the BIS or Hyperion discs. The Third and Fourth Symphonies in particular are wonderfully wrought music and should be in the collection of any lover of the late Romantics. Here endeth the lesson! Tim Mahon Alexandria, VA