Dutilleux's Dark Dominion

[kyjo]

Slava turned out stunning performances of the Dutilleux and Lutoslawski CCs in this recording:

[asin]B00006I0CJ[/asin]

[snyprrr]

Slava turned out stunning performances of the Dutilleux and Lutoslawski CCs in this recording:

[asin]B00006I0CJ[/asin]

Yes, we've aaalways had that one. Classic! Reminds me of that other EMI disc with Schmidt/Busoni/Lutoslawski...

[Herman]

Hannigan is terrific; I've heard her live in Ligeti's Le Grand Macabre and Mysteries of the Macabre

There's an exuberant performance on youtube.

[Mozart Dave]

Fine, let's hear it, Herman!

[North Star]

Fine, let's hear it, Herman!

From the Ligeti thread:

The NY Philharmonic has put up a few excerpts from last week's performance of Le Grand Macabre.  Here is Barbara Hannigan as Gepopo, along with Anthony Roth Costanzo as Prince Go-Go.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f-p1utKFxCg

--Bruce

[Mirror Image]

Coming February 18th ..

[asin]B00HHYVZLU[/asin]

Will be interesting to see what they pull from their archives. I don't think DG has too many Dutilleux recordings in their catalogue.

[not edward]

There's a few from other Universal labels in it and some recordings licensed from other labels:

Of the major works:

Symphony #2/Metaboles/Timbres, Espaces, Mouvement are from the Bychkov disc on Philips
The concerti are from the Dutoit disc with Pierre Amoyal and Lynn Harrell on Decca (Sur le meme accord is the Mutter recording)
Mystere de l'Instant is from the Graf set on Arte Nova
The piano sonata is with Marie-Claire Le Guay; the other solo piano pieces are from the Robert Levin disc on ECM
Correspondances and The Shadows of Time are from the recent Salonen disc on DG
Le temps l'horloge and Deux sonnets de Jean Cassou are from the Fleming disc on Decca
Ainsi la nuit, Les citations and Figures de resonances are from the Erato boxed set that's been around for years

[Mirror Image]

There's a few from other Universal labels in it and some recordings licensed from other labels:

Of the major works:

Symphony #2/Metaboles/Timbres, Espaces, Mouvement are from the Bychkov disc on Philips
The concerti are from the Dutoit disc with Pierre Amoyal and Lynn Harrell on Decca (Sur le meme accord is the Mutter recording)
Mystere de l'Instant is from the Graf set on Arte Nova
The piano sonata is with Marie-Claire Le Guay; the other solo piano pieces are from the Robert Levin disc on ECM
Correspondances and The Shadows of Time are from the recent Salonen disc on DG
Le temps l'horloge and Deux sonnets de Jean Cassou are from the Fleming disc on Decca
Ainsi la nuit, Les citations and Figures de resonances are from the Erato boxed set that's been around for years

Never understood the reason DG or Decca even uses their own labels anymore since they're all under the same umbrella. Universal Music Group aren't the brightest bunch when it comes to marketing. What they should do is subdivide their label. Like, example, just put their classical recordings under the name Universal Classical or something like this. Why try to preserve DG or Decca when this would be just so much easier. They dissolved Philips, so why not do the same for DG and Decca?

[Cosi bel do]

Never understood the reason DG or Decca even uses their own labels anymore since they're all under the same umbrella. Universal Music Group aren't the brightest bunch when it comes to marketing. What they should do is subdivide their label. Like, example, just put their classical recordings under the name Universal Classical or something like this. Why try to preserve DG or Decca when this would be just so much easier. They dissolved Philips, so why not do the same for DG and Decca?

They dissolved Philips because it was a condition in the original deal, when Seagram/Universal Music Group bought Polygram from Philips electronics, that the "Philips" label could not be commercialy used for more than 10 years (recordings officially ceased to be released and sold under the Philips label in 2009).
Now, keeping several labels is quite efficient actually, it allows different strategies for each. In the 1990s, for instance, there was the mainstream DG label, the baroque Archiv, the midprice Philips and the "Home of opera" Decca labels. It seems the difference is now done more in terms of pricing, with Decca being the "luxury/expensive" label of UMG. And the box-sets have actually allowed UMG to reactivate defunct labels, as Mercury or Westminster, that have a particular image and a strong impact on the public.
Just like Sony continues to publish recordings and sets under the Living Stereo, RCA, Columbia, Vivarte, Seon or Sony labels.

[Cosi bel do]

I don't think this recording has ever been commercialy released. It is the premiere performance of Métaboles, by George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra. I think anyone interested in Dutilleux should know it.

http://www.youtube.com/v/pNEsM5X7vEg

[Turner]

Recently got this, Dervaux´s old recording of the 1st Symphony, on a Vega LP.
It´s in mono but a very expressive performance, with quite good, dense, detailed and warm sound.

[James]

BBC Radio 3 - Henri Dutilleux 100
A collection of programmes to mark the centenary of one of French music's great composers

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p03fm1k2

[bhodges]

Anyone who admires Dutilleux may want to investigate some of this year's Proms concerts, available for listening on the BBC's website, since they are marking the composer's centenary. Now listening to Timbres, espace, mouvement (1978), in a beautifully detailed performance from Sakari Oramo and the BBCSO, and there are other gems, too.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/events/enw2mb#p044b0jc

--Bruce

[Ainsi la nuit]

Scribbling down a few thoughts about this wonderful composer, one of my very favourites! (Apologies, it became quite a long read)

I fell in love with Dutilleux a few years ago, when I got to know his magnificent (albeit short!) nocturne for violin and orchestra, titled Sur le même accord which was written for Anne-Sophie Mutter. The fact that this intriguing gem that kept my attention for its entire 10-minute duration was written over the course of 15 whole years felt crazy, and I needed to know more. It didn't take long for me to discover...

...the incredible cello concerto tout un monde lointain... which Dutilleux didn't call a concerto per se but is almost universally considered as such. What an astounding work, so full of mystery and passion! It took me a few listens to really "get" it, but it won me over eventually. I think it's one of the best concertos written for the instrument by anyone. It takes me to a journey of immense, cosmic proportions - but I wont go into too much details, since I don't think sharing personal impressions is very useful. Anyhow, after this piece I had to hear the remaining concerto, the L'arbre des songes for violin and orchestra. Needless to say, I was hooked by now.

The symphonies was a logical next step. They're early works that both stem from the early part of Dutilleux' career. The 1st from 1951 is a stunningly original work, even if it isn't harmonically as adventurous as some of the more daring and experimental composers from that era - but that wasn't Dutilleux' intention to begin with, and his work should be observed on its own terms. While I'm in the topic, I must say that I'm a fierce defender of both Dutilleux and Boulez; the two composers who represented very different approaches to post-war composition and are often pitted against each other in arguments. They certainly didn't have a warm relationship, and Boulez never conducted a single note of Dutilleux' music, but as Dutilleux himself said: "I don't talk about him and he doesn't talk about me" -- and later: "Our relations are now very good, très chaleureux -- at the moment I have no problems with him. I even like the fact that he is no longer certain, but is a man riven by doubt, as we all should be." Well put, I think. It's important to note that the Boulez of the 50's and 60's didn't really exist anymore later. He became quite a mellow man, albeit with strong convictions.

Anyhow, the symphonies are essential works for anyone interested in this man's music. It's interesting that he never returned to this genre after the strange 2nd finished in 1959 - maybe he had said everything that needed to be heard? Or maybe the prospect of writing in such a grandiose genre was too daunting for the aging man...

The string quartet Ainsi la nuit and the curious Les citations for oboe, harpsichord, double bass and percussion are works that I love immensely. There's a certain austerity in these works that he was unable to express in his orchestral works because those just keep exploding with lush colours and carefully crafted sound surfaces. In the chamber works - as in some piano works; think about the preludes - he reached a different kind of intimacy. Very interesting stuff, even if there's very little of it!

The Correspondances for soprano and orchestra is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. It's simply a stunning work in which every note feels like being in the exact right place. The vocal line is so soft, so expressive. And the words - how the singer says toujours, toujours... at the end of the A Slava et Galina movement; it's pure magic! Or how about the Danse cosmique, how those percussive interjections feel like messages from a different universe? It's overwhelming, but still so subtle. Now that I think of it, this piece might be my favourite Dutilleux piece!

I agree with Esa-Pekka Salonen that most of what Dutilleux wrote is simply masterful, as if weighed "with golden scales". It's so important to me, and sometimes I suffer a lot because there isn't more of it. But quality over quantity, I guess - and this applies to Boulez as well!

There are plenty of recordings available that I love. I have the Erato Centenary Edition in my shelf that includes a lot of good performances  - like Hannigan singing Correspondances, Rostropovich playing tout un monde lointain... and Dutilleux' wife Geneviève Joy playing the piano sonata. It doesn't include all of his music, though, like the Trois tableaux symphoniques. But there are a lot many great interpretations available; I'm particularly fond of Ludovic Morlot's recordings of all of the main orchestral works with the Seattle Symphony.

The one thing I hope that these works would make their way more to my local concert hall's programmes - I've only ever heard the Timbres, espace, mouvement live, but I know that I've missed a few as well. I can only hope! How about other people here on this forum? I see this thread hasn't been active very recently, hopefully I haven't missed a more recent one. Favourite pieces? Memorable concert experiences? Appraisals, criticisms? I'd be interested to hear!

[Cato]

Scribbling down a few thoughts about this wonderful composer, one of my very favourites! (Apologies, it became quite a long read)

I fell in love with Dutilleux a few years ago, when I got to know his magnificent (albeit short!) nocturne for violin and orchestra, titled Sur le même accord which was written for Anne-Sophie Mutter. The fact that this intriguing gem that kept my attention for its entire 10-minute duration was written over the course of 15 whole years felt crazy, and I needed to know more. It didn't take long for me to discover...

...the incredible cello concerto tout un monde lointain... which Dutilleux didn't call a concerto per se but is almost universally considered as such. What an astounding work, so full of mystery and passion! It took me a few listens to really "get" it, but it won me over eventually. I think it's one of the best concertos written for the instrument by anyone. It takes me to a journey of immense, cosmic proportions - but I wont go into too much details, since I don't think sharing personal impressions is very useful. Anyhow, after this piece I had to hear the remaining concerto, the L'arbre des songes for violin and orchestra. Needless to say, I was hooked by now.

The symphonies was a logical next step. They're early works that both stem from the early part of Dutilleux' career. The 1st from 1951 is a stunningly original work, even if it isn't harmonically as adventurous as some of the more daring and experimental composers from that era - but that wasn't Dutilleux' intention to begin with, and his work should be observed on its own terms. While I'm in the topic, I must say that I'm a fierce defender of both Dutilleux and Boulez; the two composers who represented very different approaches to post-war composition and are often pitted against each other in arguments. They certainly didn't have a warm relationship, and Boulez never conducted a single note of Dutilleux' music, but as Dutilleux himself said: "I don't talk about him and he doesn't talk about me" -- and later: "Our relations are now very good, très chaleureux -- at the moment I have no problems with him. I even like the fact that he is no longer certain, but is a man riven by doubt, as we all should be." Well put, I think. It's important to note that the Boulez of the 50's and 60's didn't really exist anymore later. He became quite a mellow man, albeit with strong convictions.

Anyhow, the symphonies are essential works for anyone interested in this man's music. It's interesting that he never returned to this genre after the strange 2nd finished in 1959 - maybe he had said everything that needed to be heard? Or maybe the prospect of writing in such a grandiose genre was too daunting for the aging man...

The string quartet Ainsi la nuit and the curious Les citations for oboe, harpsichord, double bass and percussion are works that I love immensely. There's a certain austerity in these works that he was unable to express in his orchestral works because those just keep exploding with lush colours and carefully crafted sound surfaces. In the chamber works - as in some piano works; think about the preludes - he reached a different kind of intimacy. Very interesting stuff, even if there's very little of it!

The Correspondances for soprano and orchestra is one of my all-time favourite pieces of music. It's simply a stunning work in which every note feels like being in the exact right place. The vocal line is so soft, so expressive. And the words - how the singer says toujours, toujours... at the end of the A Slava et Galina movement; it's pure magic! Or how about the Danse cosmique, how those percussive interjections feel like messages from a different universe? It's overwhelming, but still so subtle. Now that I think of it, this piece might be my favourite Dutilleux piece!

I agree with Esa-Pekka Salonen that most of what Dutilleux wrote is simply masterful, as if weighed "with golden scales". It's so important to me, and sometimes I suffer a lot because there isn't more of it. But quality over quantity, I guess - and this applies to Boulez as well!

There are plenty of recordings available that I love. I have the Erato Centenary Edition in my shelf that includes a lot of good performances  - like Hannigan singing Correspondances, Rostropovich playing tout un monde lointain... and Dutilleux' wife Geneviève Joy playing the piano sonata. It doesn't include all of his music, though, like the Trois tableaux symphoniques. But there are a lot many great interpretations available; I'm particularly fond of Ludovic Morlot's recordings of all of the main orchestral works with the Seattle Symphony.

The one thing I hope that these works would make their way more to my local concert hall's programmes - I've only ever heard the Timbres, espace, mouvement live, but I know that I've missed a few as well. I can only hope! How about other people here on this forum? I see this thread hasn't been active very recently, hopefully I haven't missed a more recent one. Favourite pieces? Memorable concert experiences? Appraisals, criticisms? I'd be interested to hear!

Many thanks for the comments and recommendations!

I came across Dutilleux through George Szell and The Cleveland Orchestra many years ago:

https://www.youtube.com/v/pNEsM5X7vEg

Also in the 1970's I heard his Symphony #2 and was highly impressed!  It is high time to revisit his works!

[snyprrr]

'Les Citations', anyone? Just heard this... Classic Modern Chamber Music...

[Ainsi la nuit]

'Les Citations', anyone? Just heard this... Classic Modern Chamber Music...

It's a really fascinating piece, already when one takes a look at the instrumentation: oboe, harpsichord, double bass and percussion - how many pieces are there for this group of instruments? The piece is governed by an air of mystery, as is much of the composer's music. For some reason I connect this piece in my head with his Mystère l'instant, maybe because both works end similarly in a triumphant rhythmic gesture - I don't know how else to describe it. You never know where the piece is going, at least when you hear it for the first time. And the inclusion of the harpsichord makes me smile, as I love the instrument especially in a modern/contemporary context.

As I already mentioned in my earlier post, I think it's a terrible shame that Dutilleux didn't write more music for chamber ensembles. Sometimes great artistic talent comes with a terrible cost, which in his case was the painstakingly long process of creation.

[Maestro267]

As it happens, I listened to Dutilleux's Symphony No. 1 yesterday, and enjoyed it. Now, after the above posts, I'm giving Les Citations a go, courtesy of the 7-disc Erato/Warner Dutilleux Centenary Edition I picked up back in December 2016. The 7th disc is devoted to the chamber music, and there are some interesting instrument combos here, including a work for trombone and piano.

Update as I'm listening: That's a very unusual sound the oboist makes near the end of the 1st movt. of Les Citations!

[Baron Scarpia]

As it happens, I listened to Dutilleux's Symphony No. 1 yesterday, and enjoyed it. Now, after the above posts, I'm giving Les Citations a go, courtesy of the 7-disc Erato/Warner Dutilleux Centenary Edition I picked up back in December 2016. The 7th disc is devoted to the chamber music, and there are some interesting instrument combos here, including a work for trombone and piano.

I recall an oboe sonata on that disc which I enjoyed.

[Ainsi la nuit]

The early chamber works of Dutilleux are indeed filled with interesting instruments - flute, trombone, bassoon and oboe, all of them with the piano. If my memory serves me, Dutilleux was asked to compose those works for a conservatory project that aimed at expanding the repertoire for those instruments. And they sure did! The composer himself thought very little of these early efforts, but I think they're really charming and valuable pieces for anyone playing those instruments. I'm glad Dutilleux didn't destroy the scores!