Neglected 20th Century French composers

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Betsy Jolas

... was featured at the 1996 Huddersfield Festival (the last year in which Stockhausen attended), I attended a concert of her works given by students from the University of York. Sadly, I then found her Music rather under-powered and I can remember little of it. (There's a new CD of her work reviewed by Arnold Whittall in the current Tempo, which suggests that it might reward further investigation, and there are other discs already available.)

That year I was rather overwhelmed by the Stockhausen events (as I'd expected to be) and by my first encounter with the ELISION ensemble, playing, amongst other things, a set of pieces called Negatives. I forget the composer, but I remember being glad that I'd dared the blizzards on the Pennines (the snow falling so thick that there was only a four-inch square clear on my windscreen by the time I reached Denholme).

Sorry - gone off-topic. Time to get back to Martinet.

[Serial_Apologist]

Most grateful for the pointers, Richard.

Maurice Emmanuel's 20-minute first symphony of 1919, a most enjoyable listen btw, is available on the 2 links below:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeBm5DVEeT0

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qdqRhtT9IDU

Eloy's "Equivalences":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rOeL_sliUT4

and "Gaku-No-Michi":

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HD4_FZyFNSE

...which I am very much looking forward to listening to in its entirely later this evening, when I'll check up on some Guezec links.

[Beef Oven]

This is a great thread S_A Cheers!

[teamsaint]

This is a great thread S_A Cheers!

#

it no doubt is.
he has promised to do a 45 minutes beginners class with 2 works recommended every week.
(not suggesting you need to be in that class, Beefy, you will no doubt be in the "Remove" or somewhere higher.)

[Serial_Apologist]

This is a great thread S_A Cheers!

Wot, all this FRENCH music???

Guezek's "Textures Enchainees" is on the following clip. Varese is definitely there in this music; I'm reminded of Birtwistle as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vlhu_PJgaaA

Terrific stuff, and not at all difficult to follow.

[Nick Armstrong]

This is a great thread S_A Cheers!

It certainly is

And well timed... Inspired by another thread, at the end of last week I acquired the RNSO/Denève box of complete Roussel symphonies plus other orchestral goodies:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.504017

I've listened several times to No 1 - engaging enough, I can hear a bit of César Franck in there which isn't ideal as far as I'm concerned... but if anything, the other pieces are more interesting... and especially an undiscovered gem, the 'Final Scene' from his incidental music to
"Le marchand de sable qui passe", Op. 13 - a delightful French bonbon, up there with Fauré's "Pavane" in attractiveness without the overexposure. Just the sort of thing I'd been hoping to find.

I've moved on to Symphony No 2 now - quite a dark piece. This disc is a rather better recording than No 1 which I found a little hard-edged in louder passages - No 2 is richer.

Looking forward to this little French voyage of discovery...

[Beef Oven]

It certainly is

And well timed... Inspired by another thread, at the end of last week I acquired the RNSO/Denève box of complete Roussel symphonies plus other orchestral goodies:

http://www.naxos.com/catalogue/item.asp?item_code=8.504017

I've listened several times to No 1 - engaging enough, I can hear a bit of César Franck in there which isn't ideal as far as I'm concerned... but if anything, the other pieces are more interesting... and especially an undiscovered gem, the 'Final Scene' from his incidental music to
"Le marchand de sable qui passe", Op. 13 - a delightful French bonbon, up there with Fauré's "Pavane" in attractiveness without the overexposure. Just the sort of thing I'd been hoping to find.

I've moved on to Symphony No 2 now - quite a dark piece. This disc is a rather better recording than No 1 which I found a little hard-edged in louder passages - No 2 is richer.

Looking forward to this little French voyage of discovery...

#2 is fantasmagorical!!!!!!!!!

I think I had the Baudo on vinyl back in the day

Edit: It was probably Dutoit on LP

[jayne lee wilson]

Didn't the Summer evening 3rd movement of Roussel 1 seduce you, Cal.? I always think of the depths of a forest, the dank heat and the stillness, when that gorgeous horncall floats in on a cushion of strings...

To be honest, Deneve is good but not quite evocative enough in No.1... a more lushly poetic account is the Het Symfonieorchest Van Vlaanderen with Fabrice Bollon on CYPRES 2620, though I guess you won't want another now! This disc does include a rare, and very good, performance of the excellent Piano Concerto. (I could easily recommend this album for audiophile sound alone).
One of those odd releases that bypassed most reviewers, it doesn't deserve its obscurity... there's also Pour une Fete de Printemps, where Bollon and the Flanders band show how attuned they are to the Roussel idiom.

Just a great Roussel release, really.

[ahinton]

Didn't the Summer evening 3rd movement of Roussel 1 seduce you, Cal.? I always think of the depths of a forest, the dank heat and the stillness, when that gorgeous horncall floats in on a cushion of strings...

To be honest, Deneve is good but not quite evocative enough in No.1... a more lushly poetic account is the Het Symfonieorchest Van Vlaanderen with Fabrice Bollon on CYPRES 2620, though I guess you won't want another now! This disc does include a rare, and very good, performance of the excellent Piano Concerto. (I could easily recommend this album for audiophile sound alone).

One of those odd releases that bypassed most reviewers, it doesn't deserve its obscurity... there's also Pour une Fete de Printemps, where Bollon and the Flanders band show how attuned they are to the Roussel idiom.

Just a great Roussel release, really.

Also sprach Société Roussel de For3.org!

And every possible endorsement from me! WHAT a composer he was!...

[Nick Armstrong]

Didn't the Summer evening 3rd movement of Roussel 1 seduce you, Cal.? I always think of the depths of a forest, the dank heat and the stillness, when that gorgeous horncall floats in on a cushion of strings...

I was hoping to like it a bit more than I did... I think it was there that I detected the odd Franck fingerprint, even a bit of post-Tristan droopiness, that didn't 'do it' for me on the first 2 or 3 hearings...

[amateur51]

Betsy Jolas

... was featured at the 1996 Huddersfield Festival (the last year in which Stockhausen attended), I attended a concert of her works given by students from the University of York. Sadly, I then found her Music rather under-powered and I can remember little of it. (There's a new CD of her work reviewed by Arnold Whittall in the current Tempo, which suggests that it might reward further investigation, and there are other discs already available.)

That year I was rather overwhelmed by the Stockhausen events (as I'd expected to be) and by my first encounter with the ELISION ensemble, playing, amongst other things, a set of pieces called Negatives. I forget the composer, but I remember being glad that I'd dared the blizzards on the Pennines (the snow falling so thick that there was only a four-inch square clear on my windscreen by the time I reached Denholme).

Sorry - gone off-topic. Time to get back to Martinet.

There's a review of a CD B for Betsy in the May 2013 edition of IRR. It's music by Mme Jolas played by Laurent Camatte (viola) and Géraldine Dutroncey (piano). A visit to Spotify reveals that it carries quite a bit by her too

[BBMmk2]

Has, anyone heard of the 19th Frenc h organist/composer. Alfred Louis Lefebure? He was totally different to other composers of the time.

[Nick Armstrong]

Alfred Louis Lefebure? He was totally different to other composers of the time.

Not me. Different, how, BBM?

[vinteuil]

Has, anyone heard of the 19th Frenc h organist/composer. Alfred Louis Lefebure? He was totally different to other composers of the time.

... if this is the chap you mean, o BBM - I relish the sheer bad taste of his organ works : quite the silliest pieces of music around, ideal for a fairground organ :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louis_James_Alfred_Lefébure-Wély

[BBMmk2]

Oh they are great fun, come on! I know quite a few learned organists who love his music!! :)