Milhaud Mozart Zeisl Mozart Milhaud PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES Milhaud Mozart Zeisl PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES Milhaud Mozart Zeisl Ambroise Aubrun violin Ambroise Aubrun violin Steven Vanhauwaert piano Steven Vanhauwaert piano Austrian-American composer Eric Zeisl fled Le compositeur austro-américain Éric Zeisl Vienna in 1938 and found refuge first in Paris fuit Vienne en 1938 et se réfugia à Paris avant before relocating to Los Angeles. de s’installer à Los Angeles. PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES This album depicts the friendship between Ce disque dépeint l’amitié et l’admiration Eric Zeisl and Darius Milhaud, their exile to qu’Éric Zeisl et Darius Milhaud avaient l’un California and their mutual admiration for pour l’autre, leur exil en Californie, et re- each other’s work, and revisits Mozart’s sonata visite la sonate en mi mineur de Mozart qui in E minor which fascinated Zeisl. fascinait Zeisl. Eric Zeisl Menuchim’s Song (1939) Darius Milhaud Sonata for Violin No. 2 (1917) Eric Zeisl Brandeis Sonata for Violin and Piano (1950) Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart Sonata for Piano and Violin in E minor K.304/ K.300c (1778) Eric Zeisl Suite for Violin and Piano, Zigeunerweise (1919)* *World Premiere Première Mondiale HORTUS 189 D D D | T.T. 59'33 Réf. Hortus 189 © Hortus 2020 PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES Eric Zeisl (1905-1959) 1. Menuchim's Song (1939) 3'11 Darius Milhaud (1892-1974) 2-5 Deuxième Sonate pour Violon et Piano (1917) 14'05 2. I. Pastoral 4'56 3. II. Vif 2'56 4. III. Lent 3'31 5. IV. Très Vif 3'22 Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) 6-7 Sonata for Piano and Violin No. 21 in E minor, K.304 (1778) 14'02 6. Allegro 8'49 7. Tempo di Menuetto 5'13 Eric Zeisl 8-10 Brandeis Sonata for Violin and Piano (1949) 24'59 8. Grave-Allegretto 12'47 9. Andante Religioso 4'56 10. Rondo-Allegro 7'56 Eric Zeisl 11. Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 2 : I. Zigeunerweise (1919) 3'06 T.T. : 59'33 Foreword Préface Eric Zeisl (1905-1959) -----The inspiration to record this program was -----L’envie d’enregistrer ce programme est -----Austrian-American composer Eric Zeisl was a modern-day “Job.” Menuchim, his initially hand- born in 2011 when my doctorate research at né en 2011 lorsque mes recherches pour mon born in Vienna on May 18, 1905. Forced to flee icapped son, remains in Europe, grows strong and the University of California led me to discover doctorat de musique à l’Université de Californie Vienna in 1938, Zeisl first found refuge in Paris wise, and ultimately redeems Mendel, restoring his the music of Eric Zeisl. This album depicts m’ont mené à découvrir la musique d’Éric Zeisl. before relocating in 1939 to the United States. father’s faith in the process. Although Zeisl was the friendship between Eric Zeisl and Darius Ce disque dépeint l’amitié et l’admiration qu’ While in Paris, Zeisl received strong support from never able to complete the Opera, which became Milhaud and their mutual admiration for each Éric Zeisl et Darius Milhaud avaient l’un pour Darius Milhaud who became his life-long friend the work of twenty years of his life, he was truly other’s work, and revisits Mozart's Sonata in l’autre, et revisite la Sonate en mi mineur de and played a significant role in helping the Zeisl inspired by the story’s focus on Jewish identity, and E minor which fascinated Zeisl. Mozart qui fascinait Zeisl. family immigrate to Paris before their departure began to make his Hebraic heritage a priority in his -----For more information about Zeisl’s -----Pour plus d’informations sur Zeisl et sa for the United States (as seen in the letter below music, which we can hear in the slow movement music, please refer to the Orel foundation, musique, vous pouvez consulter le travail de written by Milhaud to the French authorities). of the Brandeis Violin Sonata. www.zeisl.com, the work of Dr. Karin Wagner la fondation Orel, www.zeisl.com, les recherches -----The title Brandeis refers to the Brandeis-Bardin and Dr. Malcolm Cole, and my doctoral disser- du Dr. Karin Wagner et du Dr. Malcolm Cole, -----The opening piece of this album, Menuchim’s institute in California, where Zeisl was composer tation (UC Press). ainsi que ma thèse de doctorat (UC Press). Song (1939), dedicated to Milhaud, is an extract in residence. from his incomplete Opera, Job. -----I am grateful to the Edition Hortus for -----Je remercie les éditions Hortus pour leur -----The novel Job by Joseph Roth (1894-1939) was -----The human voice was another source of in- trusting us with this project and giving us the confiance et leur soutien dans ce projet musi- arguably Zeisl’s greatest source of inspiration, playing spiration for Zeisl. As his uncle, father, and two opportunity to release what is the product of cal qui est le fruit de notre travail de ces huit a major role in the composer’s subsequent life and of his brothers were singers, it was only natural the past eight years of work. dernières années. art. His first encounter with Job occurred during his for vocal music to become an integral part of the stay in Paris. Soon after the author’s death in 1939, composer’s oeuvres. Around age fourteen, Zeisl Ambroise Aubrun the composer was invited to contribute incidental composed his first set of songs, which was soon music for a staged version of the novel performed to become his first published work. by the famous Reinhardt Ensemble. Zeisl strongly -----The last work of this album is the world pre- identified with Mendel Singer and Menuchim, miere recording of the first movement of his unpub- the two protagonists of the story. In the novel, lished Suite for Violin and Piano, Op. 2 (1919), which Singer is a modest Jewish teacher of religion, who I discovered in the archive of the Zeisl Collec- passes along his knowledge to students living tion at the University of California, Los Angeles. in an Eastern European village. The migration of The 1st movement, Zigeunerweise, composed shortly the Singer family to New York and the hardships after his 1st set of songs, sounds like a song written they encounter gradually transform Mendel into for the violin. 2 PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES 3 Milhaud and Zeisl Mozart Sonata N. 21 in E minor, K.304/ K.300c -----In 1940, Milhaud fled France and started a -----In September 1777, urged by his father to find teaching job in Oakland, California. With Zeisl a position that would ensure his success, Mozart residing in Los Angeles, the two composers saw left Salzburg, accompanied by his mother. Settled each other regularly and vacationed together in in Paris in 1778, he counted on the maturity of his Lake Arrowhead, which inspired Zeisl’s “Arrow- recent compositions to secure work, but France head” trio for flute, violin and harp (1956). lost interest in the young prodigy, and the 22-year- old composer got by giving a few lessons. -----Like Zeisl, Milhaud displays his Hebraic her- It was during this painful and frustrating peri- itage in his later works. As Deborah Mawer states od that Mozart composed his Sonata in E minor. in her essay Positioning Milhaud’s Late Chamber In addition, his mother succumbed to her illness Music : Compositional ‘Full Circle’ ?, “Milhaud’s on July 3, 1778. spiritual commitment grew through his later -----This dramatic event in the composer’s life is oeuvre, intensified by the atrocities of the Hol- commonly associated with the minor key of this ocaust as commemorated in Le Chateau du feu sonata. It is his only work in this key and his only (1954). A continuing dramatic interest, coupled violin sonata in the minor mode. with the pursuit of Jewish history, is evident in The E minor was Eric Zeisl’s favorite violin sonata. David [...] and in incidental music for Saül on Gide [...].” Dr. Ambroise Aubrun, D.M.A. -----Milhaud’s second violin sonata (1917) is ded- Photo courtesy of Barbara Zeisl-Schoenberg icated to the french writer André Gide, whom the composer admired and collaborated with through- Paris, January 5th, 1939. out his career. I certify that Mister Erich Zeisl, a very talented Austrian composer, has been working with me since his stay in Paris, and I have for him real artistic esteem. 4 PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES PARIS ‹› LOS ANGELES 5 Éric Zeisl (1905-1959) Milhaud et Zeisl Sonate de Mozart N. 21 en mi mineur, -----Menuchim, son fils considéré handicapé, reste K.304 / K.300c en Europe. Gagnant force et sagesse, il pardonne -----Le compositeur austro-américain Éric Zeisl son père et inspire ce dernier à raviver sa foi. -----En 1940, Milhaud fuit la France et accepte un -----En septembre 1777, poussé par son père à est né à Vienne le 18 mai 1905. Forcé à l’exil en Bien que Zeisl ait dédié vingt ans de sa vie à cet poste de professeur à Oakland, en Californie. Zeisl trouver le poste qui assurera son succès, Mozart 1938, il trouve refuge à Paris avant de s’installer opéra, il ne parviendra jamais à le terminer. Pro- résidant à Los Angeles, les deux compositeurs se quitte Salzbourg, accompagné de sa mère. Installé en 1939 aux États-Unis. Lors de son séjour à Paris, fondément inspiré par la trame de cette œuvre et voient régulièrement et passent leurs vacances à Paris en 1778, il compte sur la maturité de ses Zeisl reçoit le soutien de Darius Milhaud.