Koechlin wrote his Seven Stars’ Symphony after belatedly seeing his first film, The Blue Angel, in 1933 at the age of 65. As well as featuring two movements inspired by the stars of the film, Marlene Dietrich and Emil Jannings, the work also includes musical depictions of Douglas Fairbanks, Lilian Harvey, Greta Garbo, Clara Bow and Charlie Chaplin. The choice of music for the portrayals frequently subverts expectations. The movement for Fairbanks, for example, eschews a depiction of the swashbuckling nature of many of the actor’s roles in favour of a sinuous and delicate piece inspired by the 1924 film The Thief of Bagdad, while the movement for Chaplin features a lengthy and sophisticated set of variations. Most distinctive of all is the movement for Garbo, which makes extensive use of an ondes martenot four years before Messiaen first used the instrument in Fête des belles eaux. Here, as elsewhere in the work, refinement and atmosphere take precedence over symphonic development and emotional impact.

Vers la voûte étoilée (‘Towards the vault of the stars’) also dates from 1933 and is dedicated to the French astronomer Camille Flammarion (astronomy being one of Koechlin’s many interests). Its predominantly stately and aspiring nature is softened by the appearance of a beguiling melody for solo horn around halfway through its 13-minute length.

Ariane Matiakh’s performance of the symphony is beautifully done and can be recommended alongside James Judd’s 1995 account for RCA. Her performance of Vers la voûte étoilée similarly holds its own alongside the fine recording by Heinz Holliger for Hänssler (which also features Koechlin’s rarely heard symphonic poem Le docteur Fabricius). In both cases, however, Capriccio’s engineering is slightly more sumptuous and easier on the ear without any loss of detail.