Dusapin's Apex

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Born in 1955 in Nancy, France, Pascal Dusapin has become one of the most important and acclaimed composers in France and beyond. In his youth, he played the organ, studied music at the Sorbonne, and was interested in jazz. As a composer, however, he is essentially self-taught, though he acknowledges the influence of Iannis Xenakis, whose seminar he attended at the Université de Paris between 1974 - 1978, and Italian composer Franco Donatoni, who was at the Sorbonne in 1976. An award from the Fondation de la Vocation in 1977 enabled the young Dusapin to devote himself to composition, followed by a residency at the Villa Medicis in Rome in 1981 - 1983. He has been composing ever since, at a remarkably prolific rate.

The music of Dusapin is intensely lyrical, but in a thoroughly original style. The lines tend to be supple and elaborate, built from glissandi (sliding tones), microtones, and other coloristic techniques. His ear for texture is finely tuned, as is his architectural sensitivity to contrasts and balance of density, register, volume, and color. The melodic fluidity of his music indicates a strong attraction to the human voice, while at the same time, he has written virtually no music for piano or percussion. Dusapin's first large-scale work, Niobé, an oratorio for soprano, choir, and ensemble, dates from 1982. It has been followed by a succession of operatic projects, including Roméo & Juliette (1988), Medeamaterial (1990), La Melancholia (1991), and To Be Sung (1993). In 1994, he was named as composer-in-residence to the Orchestre National de Lyon, for whom he has written Extenso (1994) and Apex (1995). He has also composed concertos for flute, trombone, and cello, and has worked closely with chamber ensembles such as Accroche Note and Ensemble 2e2m.

[Article taken from All Music Guide]

I figured I would start a thread about this composer since I couldn't find one. Dusapin is a composer that has flown under my radar for quite some time now. Yesterday afternoon I heard a few of his works via YouTube and was prompted to buy two of his orchestral recordings on the Naive label. Anyone else interested in this composer or have heard his music?

[Opus106]

I'd have preferred Dusapin's Duplex.

Anyone else interested in this composer or have heard his music?

I have heard a couple of works, and I sort of like the sound he elicits from the orchestra. Both are categorised as concerto for orchcestra: Reverso (from a larger set of works) and Morning in Long Island. The rhythm in last section/movment of the latter is latino-influenced.

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Reverso (from a larger set of works) and Morning in Long Island. The rhythm in last section/movment of the latter is latino-influenced.

Oh, I'm a sucker for a Latin-influenced rhythm.

[Opus106]

Oh, I'm a sucker for a Latin-influenced rhythm.

I thought as much: http://5-against-4.blogspot.com/2011/07/proms-2011-pascal-dusapin-morning-in.html.

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I thought as much: http://5-against-4.blogspot.com/2011/07/proms-2011-pascal-dusapin-morning-in.html.

[snyprrr]

Aaargh!! I can't believe you couped this Thread!! How did I miss this one?? Well, you DID get the Title right, haha!!

I have the old Arditti disc of SQs 2-3, and another disc that has 1/4. The Arditti have all these, plus the String Trio and SQ No.5, on a new retrospective (Aeon, or Neos?). I had the old disc of chamber works by the Ensemble Accroche Note, and I have that Dusapin/Xenakis flute disc.

I've heard that the concertos disc is the one to get, along with the Auvidis disc which contains the Apex of the Thread Title. Dusapin was one of Xenakis's students, and Dusapin has a general, well balanced, Modernistic position as a Composer.

There's a lot on YouTube, including some Piano Etudes that are bery different from Ligeti's.

Frankly, Dusapin is so much a ubiquitous brick in the wall that I hardly pay attention to him. Perhaps I take too much for granted at present,... the general high competence level of the Composers born in the '40s and '50s makes it difficult to appreciate  where we have come,... too many riches.

I think anyone who has an itch would heartily welcome that new Arditti set as an example of where we are today, what we have accomplished.

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You might have waited a couple of weeks and titled this: "Dusapin de Noel." 

Pascal Dusapin wrote a Concerto for Trombone and Orchestra titled Watt - What? - no, W-A-T-T! - that is just great music, somewhere out there in the vicinity of Birtwistle (modernist, not neo-classical Birtwistle), and HK Gruber - the great Gruber of Aerial, that Peter Eotvos has been promoting. Dusapin draws out of the trombone sounds that are new - but not gratuitously so, as the raw, elemental expression of emotion starting near mn 7:55 demonstrates. Just plain great stuff



At times, though, Dusapin falls into Dalbavisme, as in his Piano Concerto A Quia that Eschenbach recorded with the Orchestre de Paris, or Extenso that Emmanuel Krivine (brother or cousin of the Trotskyite leader Alain Krivine) recorded for Audivis/Montaigne. And that kind of bores me, I readily admit.

I read somewhere that Dusapin always felt out-of-place and neglected, kept on the sidelines by the Boulezian network & feels he owes this to modest family origins. That's surprising because he has been covered with honours and commissions from the beginning of his career. My, he was even elected to the College de France, an Institution created during the Renaissance by Francois Ier to provide for scholars who were denied employment by the Sorbonne, and where Boulez also taught. Not that membership in that institution ever knocked the ill-temper out of Pierre Bourdieu, why would it knock the complex out of Dusapin? You tell me. His long hair will make nice garlands, though, if ever he does become a Christmas tree.

He is certainly a talented composer, but perhaps he's just a modest person? He certainly doesn't need any help from anyone as he's a distinctive and unique composer in his own right. I'm trying to not say too much about his music, because I'm still very new to it, but I enjoy reading any comments that members here write.

[TheGSMoeller]

<---- Dusapin fan here. His music is other-worldly sounding, and other times a little jazzy, and it's never dull. Galim, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra is a fun piece. These above are my favorite recordings I own featuring Dusapin's music.

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<---- Dusapin fan here. His music is other-worldly sounding, and other times a little jazzy, and it's never dull. Galim, Concerto for Flute and Orchestra is a fun piece. These above are my favorite recordings I own featuring Dusapin's music.

Hmmm..jazzy and other-worldly. Excellent! Two great combinations.

[TheGSMoeller]

Hmmm..jazzy and other-worldly. Excellent! Two great combinations.

I should probably be a little more specific, not necessarily jazzy in it's rhythms but more it's melodies, but anyone interested in living composers composing original music should give Dusapin a listen or two. Do you have any recordings, John?

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I should probably be a little more specific, not necessarily jazzy in it's rhythms but more it's melodies, but anyone interested in living composers composing original music should give Dusapin a listen or two. Do you have any recordings, John?

Well not at the moment, but this is my recent order from yesterday:

[TheGSMoeller]

Well not at the moment, but this is my recent order from yesterday:

That's a good one, I hope you enjoy them.

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That's a good one, I hope you enjoy them.

Thanks, Greg. Have you heard this one:

[TheGSMoeller]

Thanks, Greg. Have you heard this one:

Only samples, been wanting to check it out.

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Only samples, been wanting to check it out.

If I hear before you do, I'll let you know, Greg. I have it on order.

[TheGSMoeller]

If I hear before you do, I'll let you know, Greg. I have it on order.

Great, thanks, John. 

[lescamil]

I have the Seven Solos for Orchestra disk. I haven't had time to absorb all seven of them, but the music is very, very engaging. They are all mini concertos for orchestra that vary in scoring and highlight various sections of the orchestra. Highly recommended, even though I have found these works a bit more difficult than the concertos disk, which I find to be the best introduction to Dusapin's work. Another great set is the disk with the Etudes and piano concerto À Quia, which is excellent. The Etudes is one of the most significant cycles of such works since the Ligeti, and is on par with them, in my opinion.

[springrite]

I have been considering this one. "Opera in Ten Chapters"... what's it like?

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I have the Seven Solos for Orchestra disk. I haven't had time to absorb all seven of them, but the music is very, very engaging. They are all mini concertos for orchestra that vary in scoring and highlight various sections of the orchestra. Highly recommended, even though I have found these works a bit more difficult than the concertos disk, which I find to be the best introduction to Dusapin's work. Another great set is the disk with the Etudes and piano concerto À Quia, which is excellent. The Etudes is one of the most significant cycles of such works since the Ligeti, and is on par with them, in my opinion.

Just to quickly point something out: the piano concerto À Quia is available on the reissue of the concerto disc on Naive.

[UB]

I have been considering this one. "Opera in Ten Chapters"... what's it like?

The whole opera is on You Tube Paul so you can listen and then decide if you want to buy it. My favorite opera of Dusapin is Medeamaterial...wild stuff. I would love to see it performed.