Uploaded May 2023 | Updated September 2026, 4 days ago
00:00 Danses des temps primitifs (Dances of primitive times)
14:24 Danses de la gentilité (Dances of the gentility)
30:20 Danses médiévales (Medieval dances)
45:26 Danses sanglantes (Bloody dances)
1:00:39 Danses des temps futurs (Dances of future times)
Performed by the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Bartholomée
Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) was a French composer and organist, considered one of the greatest organists of his time. For more on Tournemire, see the description of my score video of his sixth symphony (youtube.com/watch?v=K_2T7QW5EjQ) and my blog (unknowncomposers.org/2018/11/04/the-journey-begins/).
Tournemire's seventh symphony is one of the longest French symphonies of the 20th century, at over an hour and fifteen minutes long (about an hour and thirty(!) in Antonio de Almeida's recording with the Moscow Symphony), and in my opinion also one of the most fascinating. Titled "Les danses de la vie" ("The dances of life" in English), it depicts five episodes of humankind from different time periods and perspectives. Although there are transformations of cyclic form as in his earlier symphonies, this work more strongly showcases the mystical and unpredictable element of Tournemire's later orchestral works. The spontaneity of form and harmonic language bring it almost outside the confines of late Romanticism, a trend continued in his eighth and final symphony - which contains the rather contrasting title "of the triumph of death".
The score (with accompanying program notes in French for each movement) is available on IMSLP under "Symphony No.7, Op.49" here: imslp.org/wiki/Category:Tournemire,_Charles
00:00 Danses des temps primitifs (Dances of primitive times)
14:24 Danses de la gentilité (Dances of the gentility)
30:20 Danses médiévales (Medieval dances)
45:26 Danses sanglantes (Bloody dances)
1:00:39 Danses des temps futurs (Dances of future times)
Performed by the Liège Philharmonic Orchestra, conducted by Pierre Bartholomée
Charles Tournemire (1870-1939) was a French composer and organist, considered one of the greatest organists of his time. For more on Tournemire, see the description of my score video of his sixth symphony (youtube.com/watch?v=K_2T7QW5EjQ) and my blog (unknowncomposers.org/2018/11/04/the-journey-begins/).
Tournemire's seventh symphony is one of the longest French symphonies of the 20th century, at over an hour and fifteen minutes long (about an hour and thirty(!) in Antonio de Almeida's recording with the Moscow Symphony), and in my opinion also one of the most fascinating. Titled "Les danses de la vie" ("The dances of life" in English), it depicts five episodes of humankind from different time periods and perspectives. Although there are transformations of cyclic form as in his earlier symphonies, this work more strongly showcases the mystical and unpredictable element of Tournemire's later orchestral works. The spontaneity of form and harmonic language bring it almost outside the confines of late Romanticism, a trend continued in his eighth and final symphony - which contains the rather contrasting title "of the triumph of death".
The score (with accompanying program notes in French for each movement) is available on IMSLP under "Symphony No.7, Op.49" here: imslp.org/wiki/Category:Tournemire,_Charles
