Charles Koechlin(1867-1950)

[listener]

I just posted the cover on the...."listening to now" page so just the details
of audite 97 417
op. 194 nos. 1&2  Sonatines for oboe d'amore with flute, clarinet, harp and string sextet
They are much lighter than The Jungle Book, might be mistaken for something by Ibert, perhaps.
op. 58 Oboe & piano sonata
op.216 no.11   Monodie for English horn
Lajos Lencsés on oboe(s) with members of the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orch.

[maxsnafu]

Recently, Holliger has added "Offrande musicale " to his recordings (Stutgart). It's coupled with "Les Bandar Log"






Let's hope he continues with the symphonies.

P.

Koechlin's Offrande Musicale is an intellectual and orchestral tour de force. I would encourage any Koechlin beginner to start with this work. It's brilliant.

[bhodges]

Hi maxsnafu, and thanks for your Koechlin comments.  If you like, feel free to post something about yourself in the "Introductions" section of the board, e.g., where you're from, what kinds of music you listen to, etc.

Anyway, welcome to GMG.

--Bruce

[jerome]

The viola sonata is a great work, my favourite one by Koechlin. It's dark and soft, quite lyrical (in a flowing sensation of secrecy). At first you may think you're hearing something gray or shapeless... but there are wonderful lines hidden inside, colourful harmonies and, like always in Koechlin's chamber music, a very personal treatment of the piano part, something quite humble in it that increases the idea of a musical conversation. To me, this is more than beautiful, this is wise !
Here is the record :



ps : pardon my english 

[Mirror Image]

Thought I would revise this thread...

Seeing as many have contributed to this thread already (and many years ago), I would like to see where Koechlin stands with all of you today? Does his music still interest you? Have you discovered any more works that you're particularly impressed with?

Got any recommendations?

I only have Zinman's and Segerstam's recordings, but I have ordered many of the recordings offered by Hanssler with Holliger conducting.

[Mirror Image]

One last question: why do you think Koechlin's music is so neglected nowadays?

I'm not sure how I ran across Koechlin's name, but doing some research, quite possibly on The Six, I ran across his name. He was, as many may know, one of Poulenc's teachers.

[Mirror Image]

What in the world is wrong with you people? This composer is so shamefully neglected that he can't even scrape up four pages.

[DavidW]

Page count doesn't mean anything.  Just look up the Newman thread "Mozart is a fraud", large page count but absolutely worthless.

[Mirror Image]

Page count doesn't mean anything.  Just look up the Newman thread "Mozart is a fraud", large page count but absolutely worthless.

I'm joking around, haydnfan. Anyway, while you're here, have you had any encounters with Koechlin's music?

[DavidW]

Sorry this thread has just introduced me to the composer!

[Mirror Image]

Sorry this thread has just introduced me to the composer!

Oh...well then that's great! What would you like to know about him? That is, if you have any questions.

[DavidW]

What is his style like?  If you could compare his music to another composer (I might know) or as a combination of a few, I might get a sense of if I should explore his music.

[Mirror Image]

What is his style like?  If you could compare his music to another composer (I might know) or as a combination of a few, I might get a sense of if I should explore his music.

His music is very hard to categorize, but someone described Koechlin's music as the link between Debussy and Messiaen, but honestly this doesn't really tell anybody that much. I would say his music more than leans on the French Impressionistic side of things. He's a colorist who was interested in harmony, rhythm, and orchestration. There were many fine orchestrators in classical music and Koechlin has to be counted as one of them. In fact, he wrote a whole series of books on the subject. But I can honestly say that his music sounds like nobody else. He was very much his own man.

In terms of recommendations, I can whole-heartedly point to the David Zinman/BRSO recording of The Jungle Book on RCA. This was my introduction to this music. This recording is out-of-print strangely, but can purchased rather cheaply through an Amazon third-party seller.

[Mirror Image]

I'm honestly surprised that Pierre Boulez never took up the Koechlin mantle. This composer seems to be right up his alley. I'd love to hear Boulez conduct the complete Jungle Book with the Cleveland Orchestra or the CSO. Here's for wishful dreaming...

[Mirror Image]

The more I hear of this guy, the more I like.  I've just fallen for the "Jungle Book" Double CD and the Persian Hours.  He's got a very personal sound with some really creative orchestration.   And I haven't dipped into the piano music yet, but that is bound to happen.

I think The Jungle Book is one of the most underrated works of the 20th Century. It's really a masterpiece from start to finish. I'm listening to it for a third time in a row and it keeps getting better and better. The more I listen, the more a texture I didn't quite hear before comes out.

[Mirror Image]

MI is right to mention Debussy and Messiaen — I would also add the Schoenberg of Pelleas und Melisande to the list.

Start here:



One short ravishing tone poem (probably one of my favorite pieces ever!) and another on a grander scale with several really astounding moments.

Yes, I bought this recording tonight along with four others.

[The new erato]

Seems to me that, though wildly uneven, Koechlin is one of the great, undiscovered masters, in his late works anticipating much of Messiaens style:

[jowcol]

I'm not usually the biggest fan of solo piano with the exception of the impressionists, and Koechlin's piano works are definitely worth investigating.  I prefer the piano version of the Persian Hours to the orchestral one.

Besides that, I haven't found much of his orchestral work that I did not like.

Why was he neglected? Probably not trendy enough--- he really came into his own as the "impressionist" style was on the wane. 

[cilgwyn]

'What's wrong with you people?' Reminds me of that 'Seinfeld' episode with people eating their 'Snickers' bars with knives and forks. Nobody's THAT important. At the same time when you listen to Koechlin's best music you do tend to ask yourself that question. I have several Koechlin cd's in my collection. Only the other day I was playing his wonderful 'Seven Stars Symphony'. Not one of Koechlin's most profound works,but a good place to start as it's Koechlin at his most hauntingly lyrical. He certainly is a curious mixture. His music can be very tonal and approachable and then veer off into Messiaen like territory, all in the space of a couple of minutes (or seconds). The kind of music that could give your unwary granny a nasty suprise!

[DavidW]

Thanks for the info everyone, he does sound up my alley... I'll probably check youtube first.