Topic: The French Music Exploration thread

[Papy Oli]

Another composer you should not overlook is Mel Bonis (1858-1937).

Thank you, added as well.

[Madiel]

Well, I'm sold on the merits of Ibert, so this thread has been worthwhile already. 

I've quite liked all the things I've tried, though the one that really caught my fancy was the opening movement of the Flute Concerto.

I'm sort of getting touches of Poulenc with a hint of Ravel, though that's partly just because I don't have that many reference points available to me. Poulenc but with a little more restraint and classicism.

EDIT: I'm finding the String Quartet very good too (chamber music is probably my favourite genre anyway).

[Mandryka]

Thank you Mandryka. Machaut being in the list, I'll add De Vitry and Sainte Colombe Père for now.

It's a huge task you've set yourself, especially if you include early music. As far as I know there's no "racial" continuity -- no relationship between the art of Leonin and the art of Semisy or the art of Brice Pausset.

[Papy Oli]

Well, I'm sold on the merits of Ibert, so this thread has been worthwhile already. 

I've quite liked all the things I've tried, though the one that really caught my fancy was the opening movement of the Flute Concerto.

EDIT: I'm finding the String Quartet very good too (chamber music is probably my favourite genre anyway).

You're welcome 

I'll be playing the Flute Cto in a moment, you're not helping by throwing in the SQ either  !

you need to try that concertino for saxophone as well by the way (Fergus was onto something with this one) 

[Papy Oli]

It's a huge task you've set yourself, especially if you include early music. As far as I know there's no "racial" continuity -- no relationship between the art of Leonin and the art of Semisy or the art of Brice Pausset.

I know    I'll try to enjoy the journey, however long it takes. Some stops will be much shorter than other I am sure, but i'll take my time. I am not looking at those in terms of a racial continuity or relationships at all, just on their own specific merit really. They are only in that list because they are in my personal substantial blind spot, composers I struggled with before, and i bundled them because they so happen to be composers of my own country. As good a bundle as any. 

[Papy Oli]

Concertino da camera for Alto Saxophone and 11 instruments[/b]

Ibert: Flute Concerto [Galway/Dutoit]

2 good'uns, those.

I'm finding the String Quartet very good too (chamber music is probably my favourite genre anyway).

the SQ is not tickling me the right way so far.

[Mandryka]

I know    I'll try to enjoy the journey, however long it takes. Some stops will be much shorter than other I am sure, but i'll take my time. I am not looking at those in terms of a racial continuity or relationships at all, just on their own specific merit really. They are only in that list because they are in my personal substantial blind spot, composers I struggled with before, and i bundled them because they so happen to be composers of my own country. As good a bundle as any.

One thing that may be the case is that French music is very subtle. That's probably why it's less well appreciated than Italian music or German music. I think this may well be a racial trait going back to Machaut and stretching all the way to Dusapin.

[kyjo]

Do not miss out on the wonderful music of Jean-Michel Damase (1928-2013)! This Dutton CD of his orchestral works is the perfect place to start:

You can see my very enthusiastic review if you scroll down a bit

P.S. All this talk about Ibert has reminded me that I need to explore more of his music. I’ve always enjoyed Escales, Divertissement (surely one of the funniest pieces of music I know!), and the Flute Concerto. I recall the Symphonie marine being excellent as well.

[kyjo]

I've been enjoying the Symphony in A major by the sadly short-lived but appropriately named Pierre-Octave Ferroud (1900-36). He was tragically decapitated in a car accident in Hungary. The style is kind-of Honegger meets Stravinsky but it held my attention throughout:

Yes, that’s a very good work; your Honegger comparison is quite apt. I recall the slow movement being particularly fine.

[Papy Oli]

Do not miss out on the wonderful music of Jean-Michel Damase (1928-2013)!

Damase is in the list, Kyle, no worries 

[Papy Oli]

Next stop :  Edgar Varèse.



Played "Tuning Up", "Amériques", "Poème Electronique"

[aligreto]

Next stop :  Edgar Varèse.

A blind spot for me also so I will definitely learn something here 

[Florestan]

If you are into piano music, then Cecile Chaminade is a must. Salon music at its best: elegant, tuneful, witty and eminently enjoyable.

[Iota]

Excellent thread idea, PO! Look forward to seeing what tasty morsels emerge from it. And in honour of its inception I just listened to the Ibert flute concerto which seems rather butterfly-like in the first and last movements, with an attractive tendresse in the middle movement, which was the one I preferred.
Also listened to 3 Pieces Breves, as recommended above, again whimsical, but I felt there was a tad more Stravinskian bite and humour to the whimsy than in the concerto, which made it more interesting to me. I suspect his smaller scale works might engage me most, but may try the Symphonie Marine too. 
 

[some guy]

Yes, that’s a very good work; your Honegger comparison is quite apt. I recall the slow movement being particularly fine.

This mention of Honegger reminded me, irrationally, of a composer that I've been recently rediscovering, Maurice Ohana.

The love child of Messiaen and Stravinsky, in a manner of speaking.

But since I was focussed on providing composers without a number to the left of the hyphen, I didn't even think of Ohana.

I should, however, have thought of Gilbert Amy. Who does not have number... hyphen... and et cetera.

[Madiel]

So far Edgar isn’t doing it for me.

[some guy]

Varèse's output is small, but it is just about as perfect as any human-made thing is likely to get.

Don't give up on yourself, Madiel. It's a splendid world there. And fortunately, it will be just as splendid whenever you're ready as it is now.

(My first one was Poème électronique. The one I played most often, at first, was Arcana

My oldest son's first was also Poème électronique. It hit him even harder: he went on to study with David Cope at UC Santa Cruz, earning a degree in computer music composition.)

[Mandryka]

Enjoying Philippe Manoury’s second string quartet this morning

<a href="https://www.youtube.com/v/1A-XGTZjLlw" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="bbc_link bbc_flash_disabled new_win">https://www.youtube.com/v/1A-XGTZjLlw</a>

[Madiel]

Varèse's output is small, but it is just about as perfect as any human-made thing is likely to get.

Don't give up on yourself, Madiel. It's a splendid world there. And fortunately, it will be just as splendid whenever you're ready as it is now.

I'll only say this once... you're on my ignore list. And the reason for it is your regular intimation that people ought to like the kind of music that you like, and your constant, repetitive evangelism of more recent composers. Not just that you evangelise, but the tone in which you do it (such as the tone you took on this thread when seeing a list without living composers).

This has nothing to do with "giving up on myself" and such language is condescending and insulting. You could have said not to give up on trying the music. But no, you said not to give up on myself. What the hell? That conveys some kind of deficiency that I have to correct.

I didn't make any kind of statement to the effect that other people ought to not like the music of Varèse, so please don't make statements that come across as suggesting that I ought to like the music of Varèse in order to be some kind of improved person. Learn how to talk about the music that you enjoy without conveying that everyone else is inferior for not having your sophisticated tastes.

[Papy Oli]

A blind spot for me also so I will definitely learn something here 

dip the toe gently