Henri Dutilleux 1916 - 2013

[Nick Armstrong]

I've used every search tool here but to my surprise the passing last Thursday of Dutilleux at the age of 97 seems to have gone unremarked.

A number of masterworks among his output, of which I only know some of the orchestral / concertante compositions...

Symphony No. 1 (1951)
Symphony No. 2 Le double (1959)
Métaboles (1964)
Timbres, espace, mouvement ou la nuit etoilée (1978)
Cello Concerto - Tout un monde lointain (1970)
Violin Concerto - L'arbre des songes (1985)

Merci, Maître

[Serial_Apologist]

I've used every search tool here but to my surprise the passing last Thursday of Dutilleux at the age of 97 seems to have gone unremarked.

A number of masterworks among his output, of which I only know some of the orchestral / concertante compositions...

Symphony No. 1 (1951)
Symphony No. 2 Le double (1959)
Métaboles (1964)
Timbres, espace, mouvement ou la nuit etoilée (1978)
Cello Concerto - Tout un monde lointain (1970)
Violin Concerto - L'arbre des songes (1985)

Merci, Maître

A truly wonderful composer, non-pareil in terms of his gifts for orchestral colour, and arguably the last direct stylistic link to Debussy, Ravel and Roussel.

R.I.P. Henri Dutilleux

[ahinton]

A truly wonderful composer, non-pareil in terms of his gifts for orchestral colour, and arguably the last direct stylistic link to Debussy, Ravel and Roussel.

R.I.P. Henri Dutilleux

I suppose that it had to be sooner or later. He has left us so few works, but hardly anything at all that is less than utterly wonderful. I am likewise surprised that nothing seems to have been mentioned before today; I note, however, that Wiki claims that he died only today. C'est un mystère (mais pas de l'instant)...

RIP le roi Henri.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I've used every search tool here but to my surprise the passing last Thursday of Dutilleux at the age of 97 seems to have gone unremarked.

Good lord, this is the first I've heard about this (many thanks, Cali). A composer whose work I respected and admired rather than loved, I find it absolutely shameful that nothing has been reported more publicly: what the hell is Radio3 for??

[Nick Armstrong]

Even L'Express (which is where I saw it reported) is hardly fulsome in its coverage:

http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musiq...t_1250790.html

[Tevot]

Thank you indeed Maitre...

particularly for The Shadows of Time.

[BBMmk2]

Very sad to hear of his passing. Unfortunately The Grim Reaper has been verry busy, in recent months. And now Henri Duttileaux. i love his music quite a lot. RIP

[ahinton]

Even L'Express (which is where I saw it reported) is hardly fulsome in its coverage:

http://www.lexpress.fr/culture/musiq...t_1250790.html

Indeed - and there's still nothing on the BBC website even now! I find this incomprehensible!

And now I find this - http://www.france24.com/en/20130522-...ux-dies-age-97 -which states that he died last Wednesday. The plot thickens...

[vinteuil]

... one of the nicest moments of my time in Paris was when we promoted a Tippett day in January 1994, including a performance of The Knot Garden - afterwards we arranged a small supper for Tippett, and Dutilleux was among the guests : they hadn't met for years, and their mutual embracing with cries of "cher Maître!" and their obvious joy at being together was a real delight.

[amateur51]

Sad news indeed.

If anyone needs a starter pack, this very reasonable set was one of my star purchases a couple of years ago

http://www.amazon.co.uk/product-reviews/B008BT1060/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1

[amateur51]

... one of the nicest moments of my time in Paris was when we promoted a Tippett day in January 1994, including a performance of The Knot Garden - afterwards we arranged a small supper for Tippett, and Dutilleux was among the guests : they hadn't met for years, and their mutual embracing with cries of "cher Maître!" and their obvious joy at being together was a real delight.

Lovely story, vints - many thanks

[Nick Armstrong]

... one of the nicest moments of my time in Paris was when we promoted a Tippett day in January 1994, including a performance of The Knot Garden - afterwards we arranged a small supper for Tippett, and Dutilleux was among the guests : they hadn't met for years, and their mutual embracing with cries of "cher Maître!" and their obvious joy at being together was a real delight.

Thanks for that, vimto

[Simon]

Indeed. An interesting composer and an honest craftsman - didn't go down the noisy road that so many did. Some superb piano stuff, but I don't know the orchestral works except for a neat string quartet.

[Nick Armstrong]

Dutilleux was among the guests

Did you realise he was also our neighbour, vinrouge? http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/toms...lmusicandopera

(Note to readers: v and I have established that we lived within a few hundred yards of one another on the Ile St Louis - at different times )

[jayne lee wilson]

Heavens, how terribly easily overlooked now, the death of a great composer!
The Guardian has spent most of the past week obsessing over Daft Punk... I mean, they're hardly culturally insignificant, but...

Topnotch recommendation for the Complete Orchestral Works has to be the Chandos set with Tortelier/BBCPO, probably the best thing they did together. With beautiful, highly apt, Van Gogh artwork ("The Starry Night") on the cover. Wonderful to have another, if sombre, reason to go back to it.
But do try to seek out Charles Munch's ORF/Paris recordings, Symphony No.2. Metaboles etc, on Erato or possibly RCA somewhere. Always the most idiomatic in phrase and texture.