Tailleferre's Fanny

Started by snyprrr, September 29, 2013, 06:38:50 AM

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snyprrr

Any of her works jump out at you? I still haven't heard the String Quartet (not that I'm expecting more than Francaix).

Germaine Tailleferre:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Germaine_Tailleferre

snyprrr

Oh, just PRETEND you want to Post.

Cato

Quote from: snyprrr on September 29, 2013, 07:15:08 PM
Oh, just PRETEND you want to Post.

Dude!  This topic's title fits better for Felix Mendelssohn's sister!   0:)

Many many moons and suns ago, I heard a string quartet by Tailleferre and was not all that impressed.  But that was back when I was rarely thrilled by chamber works, so I should give her works a better chance.
"Meet Miss Ruth Sherwood, from Columbus, Ohio, the Middle of the Universe!"

- Brian Aherne introducing Rosalind Russell in  My Sister Eileen (1942)

pjme

#3
So far the best work by Tailleferre I know remains her harpconcertino. Nicanor Zabaleta and Jean Martinon made a refined recording for DGG - which is still available, I think. It is a lovely work full of good tunes.

I bought several other works on cd - but the performance quality is poor: the Concerto grosso ( on the Elan lable) , the first pianoconcerto, some chamberworks ...
Concerto grosso (= 1934 : Concerto pour deux pianos, chœur, saxophones et orchestre)
there's a second pianoconcerto and a violinconcerto, plenty of musiv for two pianos etc.

Her life wasn't always easy, het final years in paris actually quite miserable.: http://www.classicalmusicnow.com/tailleferre.htm



Still, some of her later work have titels that make me curious...:

1956 : Concerto des vaines paroles, pour baryton, piano et orchestre (d'après un texte de Jean Tardieu) ;
1964 ? : Concerto pour deux guitares et orchestre ;
1974-1975 : Symphonietta pour trompette, tympani et cordes ;
1981 : Concerto de la fidélité, pour soprano et orchestre ( performed by Arleen Auger!, no less)

P.

snyprrr

Quote from: pjme on September 30, 2013, 06:17:33 AM
So far the best work by Tailleferre I know remains her harpconcertino. Nicanor Zabaleta and Jean Martinon made a refined recording for DGG - which is still available, I think. It is a lovely work full of good tunes.

I bought several other works on cd - but the performance quality is poor: the Concerto grosso ( on the Elan lable) , the first pianoconcerto, some chamberworks ...
Concerto grosso (= 1934 : Concerto pour deux pianos, chœur, saxophones et orchestre)
there's a second pianoconcerto and a violinconcerto, plenty of musiv for two pianos etc.

Her life was always easy, het final years in paris actually quite miserable.: http://www.classicalmusicnow.com/tailleferre.htm



Still, some of her later work have titels that make me curious...:

1956 : Concerto des vaines paroles, pour baryton, piano et orchestre (d'après un texte de Jean Tardieu) ;
1964 ? : Concerto pour deux guitares et orchestre ;
1974-1975 : Symphonietta pour trompette, tympani et cordes ;
1981 : Concerto de la fidélité, pour soprano et orchestre ( performed by Arleen Auger!, no less)

P.
Quote from: Cato on September 30, 2013, 05:44:59 AM
Dude!  This topic's title fits better for Felix Mendelssohn's sister!   0:)

Many many moons and suns ago, I heard a string quartet by Tailleferre and was not all that impressed.  But that was back when I was rarely thrilled by chamber works, so I should give her works a better chance.

I sampled Francaix's String Quartet yesterday, and it certainly isn't as scintillating as the Piano Concertino. So, I imagine the Tailleferre could actually be the better of the 'Battle of the Lightest French 20th Century SQs'. But, perhaps it's just like Francaix's? You can hear some samples on Amazon.

Just to wrap this Topic up, the Parisii SQ recorded for Accord (or Adda) the SQs of Ibert, Francaix, and Tailleferre, a very desirable issue and hopelessly OOP. I can pretty well say that the Ibert's is quite a strong mid-century French SQ, very pleasant, and much more substantial (at 22mins.) than either of the other two. It's not angsty, weaving a positive Gallic feel... during Wartime! For those who have the BrillantClassics Box of Ibert's Complete Chamber Music (Olympia re-issue?) know that the SQ is his most substantial Chamber Work by far. Perhaps not as rigorously structured as the Roussel, but I'd say it rather should be paired with Roussel rather than F&T.

One STILL wonders what a Poulenc String Quartet would have sounded like: short and playful like Francaix, or longer and playful like Ibert? Personally, and rather provocatively, I hypothesize that Poulenc would have rather written a four movement (rather than the French three) rather shortish work that might've read like the Francaix Piano Concertino: the brisk outer movements bookend a one-minute-scherzo and a breathtakingly haunting Nocturne,... all at around 10mins.


Scion7

I find this topic's title very sexist!  I protest!

When, a few months before his death, Rachmaninov lamented that he no longer had the "strength and fire" to compose, friends reminded him of the Symphonic Dances, so charged with fire and strength. "Yes," he admitted. "I don't know how that happened. That was probably my last flicker."

Karl Henning

So you prefer Tailleferre's Ta-Ta's?  Maybe you're right, at that.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Symphonic Addict

Among the members of Les Six, most of people (including me) are less familiar with Tailleferre, Durey and Auric's output, so I wanted to investigate further about the former's works, and I'm rather delighted to have discovered these three concertos: The Piano Concerto No. 1, the Harp Concertino and the quite curious Concerto for two pianos, chorus, saxophone quartet and orchestra.

The Piano Concerto No. 1 exudes witty and light-hearted Neoclassicism and it's a complete delight. Whereas the outer movements are decidedly lively, the middle movement happens to be intensely lyrical and moving, something I wasn't properly expecting given the nature of the outer movements. A winner of a piece.

The Harp Concertino is in a similar vein, albeit I felt the orchestration to be a little more sophisticated and alluring. The slow movement features some magical and ethereal music. This has to be one of the most interesting harp concertos/concertinos I know.

Finally, the concerto with the unusual orchestration also proved to be captivating and certainly original, but I didn't hear the saxophones to be particularly prominent. Good as it was I think it was slightly less interesting than the other works, but it's an imaginative composition that didn't leave me indifferent.

All in all, three pieces worth listening by a talented woman who had something attractive to say.



Part of the tragedy of the Palestinians is that they have essentially no international support for a good reason: they've no wealth, they've no power, so they've no rights.

Noam Chomsky

Roy Bland


Roy Bland


kyjo

Quote from: Symphonic Addict on November 23, 2022, 03:34:02 PMAmong the members of Les Six, most of people (including me) are less familiar with Tailleferre, Durey and Auric's output, so I wanted to investigate further about the former's works, and I'm rather delighted to have discovered these three concertos: The Piano Concerto No. 1, the Harp Concertino and the quite curious Concerto for two pianos, chorus, saxophone quartet and orchestra.

The Piano Concerto No. 1 exudes witty and light-hearted Neoclassicism and it's a complete delight. Whereas the outer movements are decidedly lively, the middle movement happens to be intensely lyrical and moving, something I wasn't properly expecting given the nature of the outer movements. A winner of a piece.

The Harp Concertino is in a similar vein, albeit I felt the orchestration to be a little more sophisticated and alluring. The slow movement features some magical and ethereal music. This has to be one of the most interesting harp concertos/concertinos I know.

Finally, the concerto with the unusual orchestration also proved to be captivating and certainly original, but I didn't hear the saxophones to be particularly prominent. Good as it was I think it was slightly less interesting than the other works, but it's an imaginative composition that didn't leave me indifferent.

All in all, three pieces worth listening by a talented woman who had something attractive to say.





Definitely agree, Cesar. The Harp Concertino is particularly lovely. Tailleferre's output deserves a more systematic, comprehensive treatment by the record companies.
"Music is enough for a lifetime, but a lifetime is not enough for music" - Sergei Rachmaninoff

Roy Bland