20Th Century French Wind Trios
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Cedille Records CDR 90000 040 20TH CENTURY FRENCH WIND TRIOS GEORGES AURIC JOSEPH CANTELOUBE JEAN FRANÇAIX JACQUES IBERT DARIUS MILHAUD PAUL PIERNÉ ALEXANDRE TANSMAN THE CHICAGO CHAMBER MUSICIANS DDD Absolutely Digital CDR 90000 040 Óä/ Ê / 1, 9Ê, Ê7 Ê/ , "- Jean Françaix: Divertissement (10:12) 1 I. Prélude (3:12) 2 II. Allegretto assai (1:56) 3 III. Elégie (2:29) 4 IV. Scherzo (2:27) Darius Milhaud: Suite d’après Corrette (8:50) 5 I. Entrée et Rondeau (1:22) 6 II. Tambourin (0:26) 7 III. Musette (0:48) 8 IV. Sérénade (1:05) 9 V. Fanfare (0:36) 10 VI. Rondeau (0:56) 11 VII. Menuets (2:20) 12 VIII. Le Coucou (0:59) Joseph Canteloube: Rustiques (16:00) 13 I. Pastorale (5:53) 14 II. Rêverie (6:21) 15 III. Rondeau à la française (3:38) Alexandre Tansman: Suite pour Trio D’Anches (11:45) 16 I. Dialogue (2:06) 17 II. Scherzino (2:27) 18 III. Aria (3:35) 19 IV. Finale (3:26) Jacques Ibert: Cinq pièces en trio (7:32) 20 I. Allegro vivo (0:56) 21 II. Andantino (1:51) 22 III. Allegro assai (0:48) 23 IV. Andante (2:22) 24 V. Allegro quasi marziale (1:24) 25 Paul Pierné: Bucolique variée (7:57) 26 Darius Milhaud: Pastorale (3:49) Georges Auric: Trio (11:35) 27 I. Décidé (3:57) 28 II. Romance (2:43) 29 III. Final (4:47) Ê / Ê "Ê ,Ê1- -ÊÊ Ê //Ê Ê \ÊÇn\Îx®Ê Ê Ê V >iÊiV ]ÊLiÊ Ê Ê >ÀÀ ÞÊ LÃ]ÊV>ÀiÌÊ Ê 7 >Ê ÕV >]ÊL>Ãà Cedille Records is a trademark of The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation, a not-for-profit foun- dation devoted to promoting the finest musicians and ensembles in the Chicago area. The Chicago Classical Recording Foundation’s activities are supported in part by grants from the WPWR-TV Chan- nel 50 Foundation and the Illinois Arts Council, a state agency. 20th Century French Wind Trios Notes by Andrea Lamoreaux “His music is characterized by an engag- ential teacher of numerous aspiring Euro- ing spontaneity and great technical pro- pean and American composers (including ficiency. It is often witty . not self-con- Aaron Copland, David Diamond, and Eas- sciously neo-classic, but marked on the ley Blackwood). First achieving fame at whole by a classical restraint and sobriety age 20 with his Concertino for Piano and — in a word, by those qualities of clar- Orchestra, Françaix has gone on to write ity, proportion, and elegance which have music for ensembles large and small, for always been the hallmark of the Gallic voices, and for solo instruments. spirit in the arts.” The Schott music publishers have issued — Critic Rollo Myers on Jean Françaix a complete catalog of Françaix’s works, Professor Myers might well have been with an anonymous biographical note writing about all of the composers repre- as introduction. The unknown author sented on this CD, not just Françaix, espe- writes: “[Françaix’s] works are typically cially in his references to wit and spon- French — they have charm, spirit, and taneity, and to the restraint that takes its grace; they are often touched by irony . inspiration from 18th-century Classicism, . they show their creator’s innate sense rather than the 19th-century Romantic of humor . [it is the work of one] who, age. Above all stands out that word “clar- through his cultured conception of the ity,” so often used to describe the music of musical art, is a spiritual brother to France. The fondness for woodwinds that Debussy and Ravel.” so many French composers have shown Divertissement (Entertainment) would be may be accounted for in part by this para- an appropriate title for most of Françaix’s mount desire to achieve clarity of sound, works. In this case, it is a four-move- expression, and tone color. ment, three-sided conversation that goes Jean Françaix (b. 1912) was still a school- through various topics and climates: a child in the early 1920s, when Stravinsky, moderately-paced opening, a succeeding Schoenberg, and others were radically section of complex and competitive chat- transforming the sounds and styles of ter, a brief lament, and a light-hearted, music. A graduate of the Paris Conserva- virtuosic conclusion. tory, Françaix also studied with Nadia “Others write music to express them- Boulanger, the famous and highly influ- selves,” Aaron Copland once said; “Mil- experimented with all kinds of musical haud, like no other composer I know, endeavor, from opera to jazz; they defied writes music to celebrate life itself.” We convention and took special pleasure in can imagine that Darius Milhaud (1892– shocking — exhibiting an attitude Proko- 1974) would have enjoyed the exuberant fiev called (in reference to his own music) song “L’Chaim” (To Life) from Fiddler on “teasing the geese.” the Roof, because it would speak to the Milhaud’s wind trios, the Pastorale and Jewish heritage that was so important to the Suite d’après Corrette, do not share him, and for its theme of cheerful courage the aggressive modernism preached by in the face of adversity — an attitude that Les Six; they reveal instead the compos- characterized his own outlook. Milhaud er’s firm roots in the musical past, and was bedeviled by poor health for most of his interest in both folk music and the his life, but did not let that prevent him composers of the French Baroque. The from composing hundreds of works; mul- Suite originated as music for a French- tifarious scores in many different styles language production of Shakespeare’s for the stage, films, voices, orchestras, Romeo and Juliet, staged in Paris in 1937. chamber groups, and keyboards made Milhaud’s inspiration was the early 18th- him one of the most prolific composers century composer Michel Corrette. In its of the 20th century. And he was able to non-stage form the music takes the shape work productively anywhere: Paris, his of a neo-Baroque suite of dance pieces, beloved native Provence, South America, interspersed with self-described sections or California, which became his home for such as the Fanfare, the gentle Serenade, several years after his emigration from and the graphic Cuckoo finale. The tiny World War II France. Pastorale is a kind of miniature prelude Milhaud and Georges Auric (also featured and fugue in which the oboe takes the on this disc) were members of Les Six, a leading role; its mood and atmosphere are group of young, iconoclastic composers amply described by the title. who emerged in Paris in the 1920s, voic- The French pastoral tradition is also ing opposition to the music of France’s represented in the trio by Joseph Can- past: in their words, “the eloquence of teloube (1879–1957), whose art took Franck, the impressionism of Debussy, its inspiration from his country’s histo- and the scholasticism of D’Indy.” The ry and folklore, particularly that of his other members of this famous sextet were native region, the district of south-cen- Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Ger- tral France known as the Auvergne. Like maine Tailleferre, and Louis Durey. They Bartók and Kodály in Hungary, and Ralph States during World War II. Vaughan Williams in England, Canteloube Like Stravinsky’s music, Tansman’s Suite traversed the countryside noting down pour Trio d’Anches (Suite for Wind Trio) traditional songs and dance tunes. His places great emphasis on the element of arrangements were published in several rhythm. Laid out in four short movements collections called Songs of the Auvergne. arranged slow-fast-slow-fast in the man- As an anonymous biographical note in ner of a Baroque trio sonata, the Suite Grove’s Dictionary of Music declares, features frequent ostinatos (repeated “[Canteloube’s] settings of folksongs . rhythmic figures) and passages contrast- . have gained widespread favor, but his ing slow-moving patterns with rapid original works have been neglected.” The ones. Movement titles are self-descriptive. Chicago Chamber Musicians remedy this Particularly moving is the Aria, which is situation somewhat with Rustiques, a highlighted by a wandering, mournful three-movement evocation of the riches of oboe melody. Gallic folk music every bit as eloquent in Jacques Ibert (1890–1962) was a central the instrumental realm as the Auvergne and highly influential figure in French songs are in the vocal. Especially lovely is musical life during the first half of the the central Réverie that recalls the limpid 20th century whose music has survived serenity of a favorite among the songs, in the repertoires of both orchestras and Bailerò (Shepherd’s Melody). chamber groups. A decorated officer in All of the composers on this recording the French Navy during World War I, were born in France except Alexandre Ibert made his name between the wars Tansman (1897–1986), a native of as a composer of operas and symphonic Poland who attended the Lodz Conserva- works (notable among the latter is Escales, tory and Warsaw University before mov- Ports of Call, inspired by his seafaring ing to Paris in 1919, where he became experiences), and also explored the then- part of Milhaud’s circle. He also befriend- new world of film music. In 1937, he ed another emigré musician, Igor Stravin- became director of the French Academy sky (Tansman published a biography of in Rome, a post he held until 1960 — Stravinsky in 1948). While Tansman was except for the World War II years, when more famous as a concert pianist and he was persona non grata to both Mus- conductor than as a composer, his list of solini and the Vichy regime. Ibert’s most works is lengthy and varied, including famous composition for winds is his Trios film music from his sojourn in the United pièces brèves for woodwind quintet.