Alberic Magnard(1865-1914)

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Magnard's Symphony No. 4 is a masterpiece as far as I'm concerned, though the third was wonderful as well. I wished he composed much more. I own both the Sanderling and Ossonce recordings (I have not heard Plasson's set though I generally dislike his conducting). I like the energy of the Sanderling, but the natural flow that Ossonce produces is much more alluring to me. Ossoance also knows how to build those climaxes, but his handling of the more lyrical sections is truly exemplary.

I think I agree. Sanderling is very precise, very 'Germanic' in his approach. This is certainly valid, for there is something Beethovenian in Magnard's seriousness and purposefulness. But Ossonce has more passion. That's why I always play the first three movements of no. 4 (a masterpiece indeed) in Sanderling's reading, but the final movement in Ossonce's... Blasphemous, perhaps. But Ossonce catches that note of heroic desperation - akin to that of the Finale of Mahler's Sixth - far, far better.

Must have Magnard


Unfortunately as an appendage to a bunch of Liszt on a 2-CD set, but whaddaya gonna do.  I have not heard the Ossonce set,  but this Ansermet recording easily bests Sanderling or Plasson both for performance and recording quality.  There's also a mono broadcast of a live Ansermet performance of the Magnard on Cascavelle that has been getting praise in the mags.

That Ansermet performance is a gem. I got it from Usenet years ago (doesn't sound all that good, due to the guy ripping it), but it was a revelation all the same.

[Leo K.]

I'm inspired by this thread to check this music out. I can't wait!

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Anyone interested in listening to operatic Magnard - someone has been uploading the first Act of 'Guercoeur' to YouTube. Stylistically there are many similarities with the Third and Fourth symphonies. The work itself is very curious. Magnard had a very ethical and abstract bent (Hymn to Justice!) and it shows. I don't think this work will ever work as drama, bus as music there is nothing wrong with it.


It starts here:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TdvJfPWxGXI&feature=related

[Scarpia]

A not very obvious coupling I agree, and one that will prevent me from buying this disc. A single disc with the Magnard coupled with some similar (preferable reasonably obscure) french music from the same period would have made it a must-buy for me. I suddenly see there are some advantages to downloads.

Why the Hatin' on Liszt?  Sometimes they lay the syrup on to heavy when performing Liszt, but when done with a light hand it can sparkle.  (It is interesting to hear Karajan's early Philharmonia Liszt in comparison with his later Wagnerized performances on DG.)  I'm looking forward to hearing Ansermet's take on both composers.  My copy is on order.

[asin]B001APFIOC[/asin]

[The new erato]

Why the Hatin' on Liszt?  Sometimes they lay the syrup on to heavy when performing Liszt, but when done with a light hand it can sparkle.  (It is interesting to hear Karajan's early Philharmonia Liszt in comparison with his later Wagnerized performances on DG.)  I'm looking forward to hearing Ansermet's take on both composers.  My copy is on order.

[asin]B001APFIOC[/asin]

You certainly had a creative reading of my post. I just don't need the Liszt works (which are reasonably available in a multitude of recordings already) like I would like an alternative reading of the Magnard; and in addition don't like to splurge out for a double CD when what interests me is about half a discs worth of music.

And I do think that many will think like me and will avoid the set if you aren't partcularly interested in Ansermet, thus loosing the company some sales....

[Scarpia]

You certainly had a creative reading of my post. I just don't need the Liszt works (which are reasonably available in a multitude of recordings already) like I would like an alternative reading of the Magnard; and in addition don't like to splurge out for a double CD when what interests me is about half a discs worth of music.

And I do think that many will think like me and will avoid the set if you aren't partcularly interested in Ansermet, thus loosing the company some sales....

Who knows how many people will buy the discs for the Liszt, and consider the Magnard a filler?

[The new erato]

Who knows how many people will buy the discs for the Liszt, and consider the Magnard a filler?

And they will get an incredibly good deal. But I stil don't see coupling such different music on a twofer as a good idea, two single discs would have been better.

[Scarpia]

And they will get an incredibly good deal. But I stil don't see coupling such different music on a twofer as a good idea, two single discs would have been better.

I suspect their problem was that the Liszt was too much for one disc but not enough for two, and they wanted to top it off.  Separate discs might have been a more practical alternative, although I probably would have gotten both and it would have cost me more. 

[Madiel]

Had my introduction to Magnard this weekend, with the string quartet.

I like it! I have to admit on the first listen there was a certain feeling of "goodness, what a lot of notes", but I think a big part of that is I basically haven't had any chamber music representing that late Romantic period/style.  The sonata structure is certainly there, the dialogue between instruments is there.  It's massive, but it does all hold together.

[Superhorn]

    Great news for anyone interested in Magnard ! EMI will soon be reissuing its superb recording of Guercoeur  (very hard word to spell), with Plasson,  Van Dam, and Behrens .  Do not miss it ! I borrowed on library interloan  some time ago and was astonished that such an obscure opera could be so great . 
This may be the greatest opera you've never heard .  The plot is truly strange, but the music is magnificent .
Contrary to one poster here, I've always admired Plasson's conducting greatly, and his efforts to record obscure but worthy French works
is  something  classical CD collectors must be profoundly grateful for.






                                                                                                                                                                

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Excellent! Thanks for this good piece of news. I posted a link here to the First Act that a kind soul put on YouTube more than a year ago. It's good to have the whole work!

[Sergeant Rock]

Guercœur has been available in Europe for several months now. My copy arrived June 8th. I've only heard the first act so far. Need to give it a serious listen.

Sarge

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Ah, I missed that...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

I browsed www.europeana.eu and found some rare photos: two of our composer as a child (1867), one with his daughter Ondine in 1904, a picture of his wife Julie and a final one of his house and tomb at Baron...

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

The final one...

[calyptorhynchus]

Just a question about magnard's first name. Why did his parents call him alberich? Hadn't they heard of the ring, hadn't they heard that alberich is not a nice character?

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Magnard was born in 1865, years before the completion of the Ring. 'Albéric' is, according to a French webpage, a sort of superlative for Albert, and was quite popular centuries earlier among Merovingian nobles.  It means 'powerfully and famously noble', or something like that (adal + bert + rik).


Signification prénom :

Étymologiquement, Alberic est comblé : il réunit la noblesse, adal, la célébrité, behrt, et la puissance, rik. Ce prénom d'origine germanique est considéré comme une sorte de superlatif d'Albert.
Assez répandu chez les grands seigneurs à l'époque mérovingienne, il est resté depuis assez discret - souvent remplacé par son diminutif Aubry. Tous deux sont aujourd'hui, en France, des prénoms assez rares. Saint Alberic était un prêtre des missions étrangères de Paris. Il fut envoyé en Chine à la fin du XIXe siècle et fut victime, en 1900, de la révolte des Boxers, ces membres de la secte du Lotus blanc qui tentèrent en vain de chasser les Européens.

[calyptorhynchus]

He must have been annoyed when he did first learn of the ring, then.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

So annoyed, he killed a few Germans whilst defending his house during World War I, and was killed in his turn.

[Octave]

Is there a really exceptional performance of Magnard's Sonata for Violin and Piano in G, Op. 13 that I should seek out? 
I think that is the piece I am looking for, unless there is another violin/piano sonata I have missed.