Poulenc, Debussy, Ravel and Fauré: Chamber Music, Piano Music and Songs

[Drasko]

I must say I am enjoying Pulenc right now -- he seems to be a majorly undervalued composer. Dialogues des Carmilites must be one of the finest twentieth century operas, There's the Concerto Champêtre too (which I only know through Gilels' recording  -- did Landowska record it?), some very fine songs (I have a nice CD of them sung by Flott, and others sung by Cuénod) a glorious a capella prayer/poem setting called La Voix Humaine, the Mouvements Perpetueles (which I only know through a wonderful old perforrmance from Gieseking.)

I'm big fan of Poulenc.
Dialogues des carmélites is a very fine piece, but don't miss Les mamelles de Tirésias on Apollinaire's play, you'll never hear nothing like it, try to find if you can Denise Duvall with Cluytens and Opera Comique.
I haven't heard any but there should be, maybe even more than one, recording of Concerto Champêtre with Landowska.
La Voix Humaine is monodrama for soprano and orchestra. The choral a capella piece you were thinking of is Figure humaine, wich is in my opinion one of the great 20 century choral works. Poulenc was first rate choral composer, both secular and sacred music, his motets are amazing.

[Drasko]

Concert Champêtre - Landowska / NYPSO / Stokowski 1949

http://www.youtube.com/v/A5Afw5YfAGUhttp://www.youtube.com/v/i3rfix2tVOg

[Mandryka]

I'm big fan of Poulenc.
Dialogues des carmélites is a very fine piece, but don't miss Les mamelles de Tirésias on Apollinaire's play, you'll never hear nothing like it, try to find if you can Denise Duvall with Cluytens and Opera Comique.
I haven't heard any but there should be, maybe even more than one, recording of Concerto Champêtre with Landowska.
La Voix Humaine is monodrama for soprano and orchestra. The choral a capella piece you were thinking of is Figure humaine, wich is in my opinion one of the great 20 century choral works. Poulenc was first rate choral composer, both secular and sacred music, his motets are amazing.

ah yes. Thanks for finding the Landowska -- I think he wrote it for her. That sounds completely different than with Gilels at the piano. It looks like there are at least two recordings with Landowska both hard to find and expensive when you do. I found one uploaded to symphonyshare with Zuzana Ruzickova and Sanderling -- let me know if you want the link. I have Zuzana Ruzickova's Bach concertos with Ancerl (I think -- can't check now) and they are good. Very.

One the things that's interesting is that he has a fun loving urbane side and a spiritual catholic side. I think he found religion relatively late in life. Motets sound interesting. I've always avoided Les mamelles de Tirésias partly because of the title -- I mean, what the hell can that be about? Les nichons de Tirésias aurait été mieux 

[Drasko]

I've always avoided Les mamelles de Tirésias partly because of the title -- I mean, what the hell can that be about?

Synopsis

Act 1

Thérèse tires of her life as a submissive woman and becomes the male Tirésias when her breasts turn into balloons and float away. Her husband is not pleased by this, still less so when she ties him up and dresses him as a woman.

Meanwhile, a pair of drunken gamblers called Presto and Lacouf affectionately shoot one another and are mourned by the assembled townspeople. Thérèse marches off to conquer the world as General Tiresias, leaving her captive husband to the attentions of the local gendarme, who is fooled by his female attire.

Off-stage, General Tiresias starts a successful campaign against childbirth and is hailed by the populace. Fearful that France will be left sterile if women give up sex, the husband vows to find a way to bear children without women. Lacouf and Presto return from the dead and express both interest and scepticism.

Act 2

The curtain rises to cries of "Papa!" The husband's project has been a spectacular success, and he has given birth to 40,049 children in a single day. A visiting Parisian journalist asks how he can afford to feed the brood, but the husband explains that the children have all been very successful in careers in the arts, and have made him a rich man with their earnings. After chasing the journalist off, the husband decides to raise a journalist of his own, but is not completely pleased with the results.

The gendarme now arrives to report that, because of overpopulation, the citizens of Zanzibar are all dying of hunger. The husband suggests getting ration cards printed by a tarot-reading fortune-teller. Just such a fortune-teller immediately appears, looking rather familiar under her mask.

The fortune-teller prophesies that the fertile husband will be a multi-millionaire, but that the sterile gendarme will die in abject poverty. Incensed, the gendarme attempts to arrest her, but she strangles him and reveals herself as none other than Thérèse. The couple reconcile, and the whole cast gathers at the footlights to urge the audience:
Ecoutez, ô Français, les leçons de la guerre
Et faites des enfants, vous qui n'en faisiez guère
Cher public: faites des enfants!

[Mandryka]

You know I had no idea it was so surreal. I vaguely remember from when I was at school that Tyresias, the mystic prophet in Sophocles's plays, was transsexual, and so I had always assumed it was about classical culture.

[Drasko]

Just in the nick of time...

Missed one of the photos, Biddulph with portrait of Faure displaying his fierce mustache.

Those two Marguarite Long CDs look interesting, unfortunately both long out of print.

I have maybe half of the rest, fine choices.

[snyprrr]

The moustache was restored to its owner 

abomination (noun): faicial hair that defies logic!! see: soul patch, handlebars, muttonchops, etc.,...

[Herman]

I am not sure why Poulenc got into neo-classicism instead of Impressionism. Perhaps it is a generational thing.

One may ask whether Debussy and Ravel were really "into" impressionism. In a way Debussy last sonatas ushered in neo-classicism.

By the time Poulenc was born Debussy was 36 years old. By the time Poulenc started composing music WWI (the clear marker of the end of the belle époque) was well under way.

[Herman]

For the Debussy quartet, however, I doubt one could do any better than the venerated Quartetto Italiano. In truth, their Debussy is among their best recordings, alongside Beethoven's late quartets:

For a long time the Italiano recording was regarded as the go-to recording of the Ravel and the Debussy, making people believe that this music was as static and undramatic as the Italiano performed it.

[milk]

I'm not sure how much interest there is in period performance of this genre but I just got this recording. I'm finding it to be really rewarding listening.

[PaulSC]

Thank you, milk! That one goes straight into my shopping cart.

I've lately come to believe (although it probably belongs on the "Unpopular Opinions" thread) that Liszt benefits more than any other post-Classical composer from performance on a period piano. He was so concerned with specific coloristic effects, some of which get lost in translation on a modern instrument. I've had few opportunities to hear impressionist music on period instruments, but what's true for Liszt (to my ear) is true for this repertoire as well...

[milk]

Thank you, milk! That one goes straight into my shopping cart.

I've lately come to believe (although it probably belongs on the "Unpopular Opinions" thread) that Liszt benefits more than any other post-Classical composer from performance on a period piano. He was so concerned with specific coloristic effects, some of which get lost in translation on a modern instrument. I've had few opportunities to hear impressionist music on period instruments, but what's true for Liszt (to my ear) is true for this repertoire as well...

Oh I'm glad someone benefitted from my post. I'm guessing you have the Daniel Grimwood Liszt recording? I have it but haven't listened to it enough yet. I also quite like this (and almost anything by Immerseel):

[Mandryka]

What is the (glorious) picture on this CD?

[PaulSC]

Well, it's obviously Joan Miró — his signature is visible at the bottom right, above the larger red form. But I can't give you a title or put it in context.

[PaulSC]

Oh I'm glad someone benefitted from my post. I'm guessing you have the Daniel Grimwood Liszt recording? I have it but haven't listened to it enough yet. I also quite like [Immerseel/Istomen]

Actually, I have neither the Grimwood nor the Immerseel, although I would probably enjoy them both.

I have Carole Carniel playing book 1 of the Annees De Pelerinage (Suisse), and mixed recitals by Dag Achatz and Pascal Mantin.

Finally, to bring things back on topic I'll note that I'm eyeing a Debussy disc played by Immerseel on a turn-of-the-century Erard, also pictured below.

[milk]

Actually, I have neither the Grimwood nor the Immerseel, although I would probably enjoy them both.

I have Carole Carniel playing book 1 of the Annees De Pelerinage (Suisse), and mixed recitals by Dag Achatz and Pascal Mantin.

Finally, to bring things back on topic I'll note that I'm eyeing a Debussy disc played by Immerseel on a turn-of-the-century Erard, also pictured below.

Yeah I've got the Immerseel and quite enjoy it. But I'm musically uneducated so I wonder if others with knowledge can say more about how period performances compare to modern. Here are some others in my collection:

(1897 Bechstein)

(period instuments)

[milk]

I wanted to add one more - and thank the readers of this thread for their indulgence. I'm endlessly fascinated by this recording of Debussy's piano rolls. I just find it
a real pleasure to listen to. But, as with most things musical, I know so little about it. I mean I'm not really sure what I'm listening to. How accurate is this
as a reproduction of Debussy's playing? The written material on the recording is pretty convincing. But I'll have to trust the opinions of others about it.
Still, I love listening to it whether or not it is dubious as a representation of the composer's performance of his works.

[Mandryka]

The Ravel Trio from Menuhin, Kenter and Cassado has been entertaining me a lot this week. Well worth picking up I would say on this amateur transfer, which is good enough to appreciate the music making:

http://vinylfatigue.blogspot.com/2010/06/menuhin-kenter-cassado-play-ravel-trio.html

I'm thinking of getting this one from  Jeffrey Solow, Jaime Laredo and  Ruth Laredo now that it's been released on CD by in what appears to be an arkivmusik/sony arrangement



http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=17378&name_role1=2&bcorder=2&name_id=9930&name_role=1

[Mandryka]

What could have gotten into the Beaux Arts Trio to have played  the Partoum so strangely? Surely that must be far from what Ravel wanted.  Do they always take it like that, even in their mono records?



http://open.spotify.com/track/7fJQ3ynuoK9ufV6eY28jzL



The trio here from Jeffrey Solow, Jaime Laredo and  Ruth Laredo is hugely enjoyable

[RJR]

Try some Roussel. Take a tip from Marilyn Monroe: 'You'd be surprised'.