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

[Mandryka]

There is one thing I have to say about Albert Ferber: he was a student of Walter Gieseking. He was born in Switzerland but settled in Great Britain. He probably was more of a teacher than a performer. He did gain a reputation dutrng the 1950's but has fallen out of view more recently. His playing style is laidback & straightforward. He plays the notes with clarity and a good, if somewhat even-handed (unvariagated) touch, without drama or exageration. This no-nonsense approach is well suited to Fauré, a composer who could seem too heavy, oppressively emotive, when played with excessive intensity. There is something else that ought to be said about Albert Ferber. He was also a student of Marguerite Long's; it has not been ascertained whether it is Marguerite Long or Gieseking who got him into French music, or whether he was born that way. EMI has recently released a 4-CD box of Debussy pieces, performed by Ferber. The first time that's ever happened, on CD.

I have him playing Faure preludes. I thought some of them worked and some of them didn't. He is no nonsense as you say, but in some of the preludes I thought he was a bit too mundane. I'd need to listen again to identify which ones.

Having said that it's not easy to find a really satisfying record of Faure Preludes, but if I want to listen to these works I tend to go to Thyssens-Valentin or Doyen rather than Ferber.

I'm not really a fan of the  post war French piano style in fact. I've never got on with Long's recordings, I'm very ambivalent about Leferbure too -- though in her case I've kept the concerto with Furtwangler and the record of Tombeau de Couperin.

[Mandryka]

Someone mentioned Debussy's trio for Flute, Viola and Harp, and that got me listening today. And you know what, the performance which bowled me over was probably the very first one - with Moyse, Ginot and Laskine, recorded in 1927, and sounding very good. Amazingly good.

What I hear more and more is that the early Debussy players were often wide awake, hip and jazzy. Here in the trio , but also in Cortot's solo work and the Capet Quartet's recording. They're colourful, exotic and lively. The dreamy, veiled world came later I suppose -- with Gieseking's first recordings.

Anyway, this is a very strong and modern performance of the trio -- try it for yourself:

http://www.youtube.com/v/z8_J3UiRM_s

I also listened to some violin sonata recordings -- Poulet, Thibaud, Suk. Gerard Poulet is the the outstanding one, with Noel Lee. I'd remembered it was good, but I hadn't remembered how good! They're totally inspired, spontaneous, and yet exotic and French.

Anyone heard this record?



Oh and I'll mention my latest discovery, even though it's not chamber music. Debussy composed   some orchestral music to accompany a recitation of Pierre Louys's  12 Chansons de Bilitis. The manuscript was lost, but a partial score remained. Boulez took the incomplete score and -- lo! here it is:

http://www.youtube.com/v/5iSKNthmboA

[milk]

Anyone heard this record?



I have this one and it's great! And all on period instruments.

[Mandryka]

Anyone heard this record?



I have this one and it's great! And all on period instruments.

Meaning what? Baroque Cello?

[Mandryka]

Interesting; you wouldn't happen to know if this is available in CD form?
(It's still chamber music, btw: 2 flutes, 2 harps and a celesta: an ensemble Boulez might have used, in fact!)

Not as far as I know.

[milk]

Meaning what? Baroque Cello?

[milk]

I shouldn't have said all. Perhaps someone can explain this more. The piano is a period Erard. But I don't understand what period means in terms of the other instruments. Nor do I have any idea about the strings or how the performers chose the instruments.

[Mandryka]

Thanks for the replies about the Kuijiken CD.

I've been following the discussion on a French website about the Ravel trio --they've been in involved in a blind listening of

Yvon Carracilly, Klaus Heitz, Henri Barda (Calliope, 1974)
David Oïstrakh, Sviatoslav Knouchevitski, Lev Oborine (Melodiya/DG, 1952)
Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, Artur Rubinstein (RCA Victor, 1950)
Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca, 1990)
Beaux Arts Trio - Daniel Guilet, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1966)
Trio Altenberg - Amiram Ganz, Alexander Gebert, Claus-Christian Schuster (Challenge Classics, 2002)
Beaux Arts Trio - Isidore Cohen, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1983)
Jean Pasquier, Étienne Pasquier, Lucette Descaves (Erato, 1954)
Trio Dali : Vineta Sareika, Christian-Pierre La Marca, Amandine Savary (Fuga Libera, 2008)
Trio Chausson : Philippe Talec, Antoine Landowski, Boris de Larochelambert (Mirare, 2007)
Nash Ensemble : Marcia Crayford, Christopher van Kampen, Ian Brown (Virgin, 1990)
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Philippe Müller, Jacques Rouvier (Erato, 1973)
Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Franck Braley (Virgin, 2002)
Florestan Trio : Anthony Marwood, Richard Lester, Susan Tomes (Hyperion, 1999)

The one the panel preferred was the Florestan Trio recording, with Rouvier et al and the Capuçon CD both getting an honourable mention.

Not a decision I agree with, and I don't agree with the reasons they gave. And the selection seems to me to omit some very worthy ones.

But still, this is a major masterpiece I think, and it's good to see it being taken so seriously.

[Drasko]

I've been following the discussion on a French website about the Ravel trio --they've been in involved in a blind listening of ...

Was that on Le jardin des critiques? That seems like fine program, unfortunately I don't speak French.

I'm not familiar with Florestan Trio recording but they gave both of my favorites an honourable mention, so they did show some signs of taste.

It was also on BBC Building a Library last year (I think) and the reviewer chose Capucons over Florestan in the end, Rouvier et al wasn't in consideration as being out of print.

Which worthy ones were omitted? 
 

[Mandryka]

It wasn't the Francemusque  program (which can be fun if you understand French) . It was a forum thing, called autour de la musique classique -- just music lovers like us.

The big omission IMO was Richter, Kagan and Gutman. The guy running the listening thought it was too quirky to include, and it would never have been selected. I think that's a mistake. I love that performance, quirky or not. It's contemplative -- more so than Kantorow, Müller and Rouvier (which I also love), but surely no less deeply felt.  I feel very strongly that what that trio do with the music is very fine and important -- even it is far from what people expect.

The other big omission is the very first record, with Gieseking, Gerhard Taschner et Ludwig Hoelscher . The reason for leaving it out is just that it would never have been selected because of the historical sound. But it is from memory really interesting and different and nice. I say from memory, because I can't find my CD!

Other things I would like to have seen included -- the one with Kentner, Menuhin and Cassado.Never on CD but there is a download easily findable on a blog and the amateur transfer from LP is nice enough. The performance is inspired -- maybe too inspired!

And one of my very favourite modern, conventional ones. :  Jeffrey Solow, Jaime Laredo and  Ruth Laredo.

It would be interesting to do something like that with another piece of music, and in English. The Shostakovich second trio would be a fun one to do!

[milk]

This is performed on an 1892 Erard. It comes out at the end of the month...Looks promising.

[PaulSC]

That does look interesting, milk. Same title and concept as this disc by Randall Love playing a turn-of-the-century Bluthner.

[asin]B004UBB3EW[/asin]

At the time I discovered the Randall Love disc, I was mostly searching for performances of Debussy, so the mixed program lessened my interest. But the performances (judging from e.g. the clarity and nuance I hear in the preview of Jeux d'Eau) are attractive and the instrument sounds gorgeous.

[milk]

That does look interesting, milk. Same title and concept as this disc by Randall Love playing a turn-of-the-century Bluthner.

[asin]B004UBB3EW[/asin]

At the time I discovered the Randall Love disc, I was mostly searching for performances of Debussy, so the mixed program lessened my interest. But the performances (judging from e.g. the clarity and nuance I hear in the preview of Jeux d'Eau) are attractive and the instrument sounds gorgeous.

Yes, the Love disc is an interesting disc. I have it, but I confess I haven't listened to it enough. I'm looking forward to the Jan Michiels because he plays the Études.

[Herman]

What I hear more and more is that the early Debussy players were often wide awake, hip and jazzy. Here in the trio , but also in Cortot's solo work and the Capet Quartet's recording. They're colourful, exotic and lively. The dreamy, veiled world came later I suppose -- with Gieseking's first recordings.

Sometimes I wonder whether a similar thing happened to Fauré's music. There are a lot of older, French recordings that are quite passionate, but as time moves on this kind of flat, contemplative mood takes over.

I also listened to some violin sonata recordings -- Poulet, Thibaud, Suk. Gerard Poulet is the the outstanding one, with Noel Lee. I'd remembered it was good, but I hadn't remembered how good! They're totally inspired, spontaneous, and yet exotic and French.

I have Poulet and Lee in the Fauré sonatas.

[milk]

The music is far above me to comment on but the Erard sounds magnificent and I'm enjoying it immensely.

[PaulSC]

That Michiels disc is released today, right? I think I'll snap it up as well. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

[milk]

That Michiels disc is released today, right? I think I'll snap it up as well. Glad to hear you're enjoying it.

Yeah, it was released on itunes so I downloaded it.

[DieNacht]

Debussy: small piano pieces / Magaloff

Does anyone know this ? It´s available very cheaply here (LP), but I haven´t been impressed with Magaloff from what I´ve heard so far (Chopin, Stravinsky Capriccio live etc.), in spite of his partly "Romantic" image ...                           

Well, I´ll probably give it a try anyway

[snyprrr]

Thanks for the replies about the Kuijiken CD.

I've been following the discussion on a French website about the Ravel trio --they've been in involved in a blind listening of

Yvon Carracilly, Klaus Heitz, Henri Barda (Calliope, 1974)
David Oïstrakh, Sviatoslav Knouchevitski, Lev Oborine (Melodiya/DG, 1952)
Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, Artur Rubinstein (RCA Victor, 1950)
Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca, 1990)
Beaux Arts Trio - Daniel Guilet, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1966)
Trio Altenberg - Amiram Ganz, Alexander Gebert, Claus-Christian Schuster (Challenge Classics, 2002)
Beaux Arts Trio - Isidore Cohen, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1983)
Jean Pasquier, Étienne Pasquier, Lucette Descaves (Erato, 1954)
Trio Dali : Vineta Sareika, Christian-Pierre La Marca, Amandine Savary (Fuga Libera, 2008)
Trio Chausson : Philippe Talec, Antoine Landowski, Boris de Larochelambert (Mirare, 2007)
Nash Ensemble : Marcia Crayford, Christopher van Kampen, Ian Brown (Virgin, 1990)
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Philippe Müller, Jacques Rouvier (Erato, 1973)
Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Franck Braley (Virgin, 2002)
Florestan Trio : Anthony Marwood, Richard Lester, Susan Tomes (Hyperion, 1999)

The one the panel preferred was the Florestan Trio recording, with Rouvier et al and the Capuçon CD both getting an honourable mention.

Not a decision I agree with, and I don't agree with the reasons they gave. And the selection seems to me to omit some very worthy ones.

But still, this is a major masterpiece I think, and it's good to see it being taken so seriously.

Great, that helps in my quest!

[snyprrr]

Thanks for the replies about the Kuijiken CD.

I've been following the discussion on a French website about the Ravel trio --they've been in involved in a blind listening of

Yvon Carracilly, Klaus Heitz, Henri Barda (Calliope, 1974)
David Oïstrakh, Sviatoslav Knouchevitski, Lev Oborine (Melodiya/DG, 1952)
Jascha Heifetz, Gregor Piatigorsky, Artur Rubinstein (RCA Victor, 1950)
Joshua Bell, Steven Isserlis, Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca, 1990)
Beaux Arts Trio - Daniel Guilet, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1966)
Trio Altenberg - Amiram Ganz, Alexander Gebert, Claus-Christian Schuster (Challenge Classics, 2002)
Beaux Arts Trio - Isidore Cohen, Bernard Greenhouse, Menahem Pressler (Philips, 1983)
Jean Pasquier, Étienne Pasquier, Lucette Descaves (Erato, 1954)
Trio Dali : Vineta Sareika, Christian-Pierre La Marca, Amandine Savary (Fuga Libera, 2008)
Trio Chausson : Philippe Talec, Antoine Landowski, Boris de Larochelambert (Mirare, 2007)
Nash Ensemble : Marcia Crayford, Christopher van Kampen, Ian Brown (Virgin, 1990)
Jean-Jacques Kantorow, Philippe Müller, Jacques Rouvier (Erato, 1973)
Renaud Capuçon, Gautier Capuçon, Franck Braley (Virgin, 2002)
Florestan Trio : Anthony Marwood, Richard Lester, Susan Tomes (Hyperion, 1999)

The one the panel preferred was the Florestan Trio recording, with Rouvier et al and the Capuçon CD both getting an honourable mention.

Not a decision I agree with, and I don't agree with the reasons they gave. And the selection seems to me to omit some very worthy ones.

But still, this is a major masterpiece I think, and it's good to see it being taken so seriously.

I ended up going for the Previn!! (RCA; how's that for a dark horse?), with the Debussy and Ravel. Haven't gotten it yet, looking forward.