French Speaking Composers Influenced by Richard Wagner

[Ian_of_glos]

Can anyone provide me with some guidance.
Recently I have been listening to a lot of music by French speaking composers who were clearly influenced by Richard Wagner. I am thinking of composers such as Ernest Chausson, Frank Martin and Henri Duparc.
Their music is very enjoyable and I would welcome any suggestions of works by these composers that you would recommend or other French or French speaking composers who wrote in a similar style.

Sorry if I have filed this question in the wrong place, but the composers section seemed to be the most suitable.
Also I was amazed to find that Richard Wagner is not listed as one of the composers in the Composers section so I couldn't put it there!

[Joseph K]

Debussy.

[vinteuil]

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6G77cvcPA-s

.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y0RZfgsCes0

.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Try Alberic Magnard, I-of-G; all 4 symphonies available on youTube - the 3rd is as good a place to begin:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KZt7GbwJCm0

... or the 4th:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SDwfH5EsicA

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

You might find Guy Ropartz interesting and rewarding, too:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GvKw6UaG2SM

[vinteuil]

.

... so many - but for starters :

Claude Debussy Pelléas et Mélisande
Alfred Bruneau Le Rêve
Gustave Charpentier Louise
Ernest Reyer Sigurd
Ernest Chausson Le Roi Arthus
Vincent d’Indy Fervaal.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pell%C3%A9as_et_M%C3%A9lisande_(opera)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_R%C3%AAve_(opera)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Louise_(opera)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sigurd_(opera)

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_roi_Arthus

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fervaal

[Serial_Apologist]

There's also Henri Duparc, best known for his songs - a sort of French equivalent of Hugo Wolf; César Franck, whose Symphony and "Chant montagnard" in particular show marked Wagnerian influences in the harmonic sphere - along with the Schola Cantorum composers who followed in his wake: Charles Bordes, Charles Widor, Vincent D'Indy; Paul Dukas in his own symphony, and in the overture "Psyché"; and early Roussel, which might surprise some. Debussy, though cited by Joseph K as influenced, would probably be upset to be included among the above, though it is there in "Printemps" of 1886 as well as vocal settings of around 1890, particularly of a (?) Baudelaire poem in "Le balcon", but whose influence on "Pélleas" he admitted he did his best to expunge. Some will disagree that Wagner's influence is to be found in certain passages of Honegger, and in any case was he really classifiable as a French composer? to which I would emphatically say yes; but who can deny the influence of "Siegfrieds Idyll" on the "Pastorale d'été" of 1921? Messiaen was of course influenced by Wagner, specificially "Tristan" in several works of the WW2 period.

BTW the Fauré "patiche" is an absolute delight, and totally unexpected - thanks for that one, vints.

[cloughie]

Florent Schmitt

[Serial_Apologist]

Florent Schmitt

By way of Richard Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov and Debussy!

[HighlandDougie]

If you are not averse to acquiring more CDs - not, alas, SACDs but still sounding pretty good - this box is a delight (and something of a bargain):

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Ernest-Ansermet-French-Music/dp/B00DT2322E

[vinteuil]

... Debussy, though cited by Joseph K as influenced, would probably be upset to be included among the above...

I think Vinteuil wd probably feel the same of his own œuvre, but perhaps we shdn't go there..

https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonate_de_Vinteuil

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vinteuil_Sonata

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u-F98knpuRQ

,


.

[Joseph K]

Re: Wagner/Debussy, I remember perusing this tome as an undergraduate:

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Debussy-Wagner-Robin-Holloway/dp/0903873265/ref=sr_1_2?keywords=debussy+wagner&qid=1566486731&s=books&sr=1-2

… it basically points out how Wagner permeates Debussy's music...

[cloughie]

By way of Richard Strauss, Rimsky-Korsakov and Debussy!

You forgot Ravel!

[Serial_Apologist]

You forgot Ravel!

True! Schmitt would write complete extended melodies - something Debussy rarely did after his early, more derivative works (though there are some magic tunes!). The first of the two Mirages for piano of 1921 could be Ravel's 1901 Jeux d'eau on steroids. And there's the love of tours de force - ahead of Ravel by a couple of years.

[jayne lee wilson]

The locus classicus for French late-Romantic by way of Wagner must be Vincent D'Indy, most of whose best music is on the Chandos Edition...

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/composer/vincent-d-indy/download-streaming-albums

...Of which I'd definitely go for Vol 3 first (three of his finest works on there..), then see if you want more.... VOl.5 next perhaps. The release Naxos release in the same list with Malmo SO/Ang is also lovely, mainly of earlier works inc. Saugefleurie - the latter about as quintessential French-distilled Wagner as you can get.

Just recalled this -

https://www.qobuz.com/gb-en/album/indy-v-d-poeme-des-rivages-diptyque-mediterraneen-istar-vincent-dindy/3377891311018

...the best single-issue album of D'Indy I know, with wonderful recorded sound.... probably the very best place to start....

With Magnard Symphonies I'd strongly recommend working through from 1 to 4, as the Franckian/Wagnerian influence on Maynard, finding his own voice from within it is clearer and more enjoyable then.
Of the three complete sets, Plasson is indispensably idiomatic, but there's a far-better sounding cycle on Hyperion, with BBCSSO/Jean-Yves Ossonce. I learnt the works by hearing both (and the good, but less recommendable Sanderling/BIS) during the same few weeks..... it is most lovable music, but the glorious sonic beauties are brought out fully only on the Hyperion one. If you take your sound seriously (as I think you do...), the big climaxes in 3 and 4 especially will really knock you out!

So much to say so little time....!..... long, long day, very busy week.....