Charles Koechlin - 1867 - 1950

[Serial_Apologist]

It's some years since Koechlin was COTW. His music was a revelation to me on first hearing "Les Bandar Log": an almost exact contemporary of Ravel, orchestrator of most of Faure's orchestral music, pioneeer of bitonality and polytonality, teacher of Milhaud among others, mystic and communist (yes, it is possible!), and to these ears one of the greatest orchestrators ever.

Shame not even a BC from the amazing if overinflated Second Symphony of 1942 is on the agenda - the modal fugal finale would blow anyone away.

[Serial_Apologist]

Is no one else listening?

It's still only Wednesday, I know; but I can't believe no one else has had anything to write about this wonderful music and its extraordinary composer!

[aka Calum Da Jazbo]

ta for the pointer S_A listening now to some appealingly sombre orchestral piece ....

a find for me thank you S_A ...lovely music

[Roslynmuse]

I'm a big fan! Some fantastic, unique songs, those wonderful chords at the start of Les bandar-log, Les heures persanes in both piano and orchestral guise, the Hymne au soleil that was on CotW last time he was featured....

Difficult to play though - even the rather modest looking bassoon sonata has some awkward piano writing. Were his hands as big as his beard?

[Resurrection Man]

A new composer for me and some delightful songs and orchestral pieces. Is it my imagination or did the item on Thursday 'borrow' extensively from the Rite of Spring?

[Serial_Apologist]

Glad that the few who've posted enjoyed the programmes - thanks for the messages.

To answer RM, Koechlin "borrowed" from all over the place; if you're referring to some of the quieter parts of "Les Bandar-Log" the lessons in orchestration from The Rite, possibly The Song of the Nightingale too, are clearly audible, particularly in the spare alternating of harp and double bass pizzicato which occurs just prior to the riotous final climax, though K's harmonic language is more "empirical" than Stravinsky's in his abovementioned works, or anywhere else, for that matter - putting it politely..

One sad revelation for me was the absence of any recording of Koechlin's second symphony of 1942-44, as was mentioned in Programe 5. It was being knocked out by this piece that provided my own introduction to this composer in two programmes broadcast on Radio 3, back in '67, which included most if not all the Op 63 "Paysages et Marines" piano pieces, the Sonata for Horn and Piano Op 70 and the Milhaudesque String Quartet No 3 Op 72. I happen to think that the Symphony No 2, with its triumphantly ecstatic finale, would make a big impression on a Proms audience, notwithstanding the fact that this 50-minute work meanders in parts - a large slow Franckian fugal first movement and overlong and somewhat OTT polytonal scherzo (introducing the ondes martenot) being citable. I am fortunate to possess a reel-to-reel of those broadcasts - the BBC must have destroyed their's!

There is still a week remaining to hear the programmes on iPlayer, btw...

[Sir Velo]

Some of the sonorities redolent of Messiaen, c. Des Canyons aux etoiles, in their slow moving blocks of sound kind of way. Interesting, but I'm not yet quite convinced that he has been undeservedly neglected. I'll listen again and see if it beds down.