# Once Upon the Internet – Louis de Froment and l'Orchestre symphonique de RTL



## itywltmt

En français

There are a good number of great «French» orchestras within the loose grouping of nations known as _la Francophonie _- most of them are associated with the French language broadcasters: The *CBC Montreal Orchestra *(in French, _l'Orchestre de Radio-Canada_) *l'Orchestre National de France *is a rebranding of the Symhony Orchestra of _l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française _(ORTF) are obvious examples.

Another is what is now known as the *Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra*, it too a rebranding in 1996 of a broadcaster orchestra known as the _Grand orchestre symphonique de Radio-Télé-Luxembourg _(RTL), most often dropping the "Grand" from its name. The orchestra was founded in 1933 as the in-house orchestra of RTL Radio; *Henri Pensis* was its founder and first music director. After Pensis, subsequent music directors of the orchestra have included *Carl Melles *, *Leopold Hager*, and. *Louis de Froment*.








A conductor who spent most of his career in tiny Luxembourg is hardly a musician one would expect to become well known, but Louis de Froment grew extremely familiar to record collectors. Born in Toulouse from noble lineage, Froment studied violin, flute and harmony at the local conservatory. He then enrols at the _Conservatoire _in Paris where he studied conducting under *Louis Fourestier*, *Eugène Bigot *and *André Cluytens*, winning the institution's First Prize in conducting in 1948.

In 1949, he creates a radio orchestra (_l'orchestre du Club d'Essai à la Radio française_) where he champions music from young composers, as well as assembling his own chamber orchestra. He then becomes music director at the casinos in Cannes, Deauville, and Vichy until 1956, then permanent conductor of the Nice Radio Chamber orchestra (1958-59). After a stint at the famous Opéra-Comique. He takes on the RTL Symphony from 1958 to 1980.

At the helm of this great orchestra, Froment embarked on an extensive series of recordings for the budget label Vox. (Partial listing) dabbling in a vast repertoire. The meagre sampling presented today only serves to demonstrate both the virtuosity of the RTL orchestra, and Froment's sensitive touch, albeit at times shmaltzy to excess.

Happy Listening!

*DETAILS*​
*Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)*
Le tombeau de Couperin, for orchestra, MR 68a
Pavane pour une infante défunte, MR 19
(Transcribed for orchestra by Ravel, 1910)

*Tomaso ALBINONI (1671â1751)*
Adagio, for violin, strings & organ in G minor, T. Mi 26 
[Probably composed by Remo Giazotto (1910-1998)]

*Frédéric CHOPIN (1810 - 1849)*
"Military" Polonaise in A Major , op. 40, no. 1 
(Orchestra arrangement, Theodore Moses Tobani?)

*Paul DUKAS (1865-1935)*
L'Apprenti Sorcier (1897)

*Edward ELGAR (1857-1934)*
Military March ('Pomp and Circumstance') in D Major, op. 39, no. 1

*Gabriel FAURE (1845-1924)*
Berceuse, Op.16

*Johann PACHELBEL (1653 - 1706)*
Canon for 3 violins and continbuo in D Major, T. 337

*Franz Peter SCHUBERT (1797-1828)*
Ellens Gesang III ('Ave Maria'), D.839
(Instrumental version)

*Richard WAGNER (1813-1883)*
Overture to Die Meistersinger von NÃ¼rnberg, WWV 96
_Hojotoho! Heiaha!_ (Ride of the Valkyries) from ACt III of Die Walküre, WWV 86b

Orchestre Symphonique de RTL
Louis de Froment, conducting
Downloaded from MP3.COM 21 November 2001

URL: http://archive.org/details/OrchestreSymphoniqueDeRtlSousLouisDeFroment

*December 14 2012, "I Think You Will Love This Music Too" will feature a new podcast "Brandenburg Perspectives - Part II" at its Pod-O-Matic Channel. Read more December 14 on the ITYWLTMT Blogspot blog.*


----------

