Charles Koechlin(1867-1950)

Started by Dundonnell, November 10, 2008, 04:18:24 PM

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cilgwyn

You know you love it when you pay for it.

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Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on July 07, 2011, 04:07:21 AM
Will get to it soon, MI . . . fact is, the Fabricius I've got is a burn that an old friend sent, and I like it so well I've ordered in a legit copy.

Excellent, Karl. The whole Hanssler series is worth owning IMHO.

cilgwyn

I have just bought a brand new dolby cassette deck!!!  If anyone wants me to 'burn' a cassette for them please feel free to contact me via smoke signals.

cilgwyn

#403
By the way,I've just been leafing through a 1992 edition of the 'Penguin guide to Compact discs & Cassettes',which I keep near the 'throne',and the only Koechlin listed is the Dorati recording of 'Les Bandar-log' (emi,coupled with Boulez & Messiaen). A 1964 recording.

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#404
Quote from: cilgwyn on July 07, 2011, 12:21:02 PM
By the way,I've just been leafing through a 1992 edition of the 'Penguin guide to Compact discs & Cassettes',which I keep near the 'throne',and the only Koechlin listed is the Dorati recording of 'Les Bandar-log' (emi,coupled with Boulez & Messiaen). A 1964 recording.

Yeah only in the last 15 years or so have we seen any kind influx in Koechlin recordings. This is unfortunate that his music has been neglected for so long, but this shouldn't come as a shock to anyone who enjoys music from composers on the fringes. I mean look how long we had to wait for a Havergal Brian recording of the Gothic or even Langgaard's opera Antikrist. What is disappointing is it doesn't appear that Hanssler will continue their Holliger-led Koechlin orchestral series. If something comes out I'm going to be surprised.

cilgwyn

#405
It seems strange that 'Les Bandar-log' was deemed the only part of Koechlin's 'Jungle Book' cycle 'worth' (?) recording! Are you aware of any recording or 'portions' of the cycle available prior to the Marco Polo release? Not even an....er,Aries pirate recording?!!!
Incidentally,1984 was a more substantial year for Koechlin,recording wise,with the Penguin guide listing the emi recording of the 'Seven Stars Symphony' & the 'Ballade'. Well done to emi & Myrat for that one.I say. (But it's quite obviously not a top recommendation now). Funny,you get to the 1992 guide & you somehow think there's going to be more NOT less.
One more observation. There's an odd fascination in combing through those old cd/cassette/Lp guides,but the tone of some of the reviews is incredibly pompous.
The style of the writing is often the kind of thing you'd expect to see in a 1930's publication & often incredibly condescending. Sometimes you finish a review and think,why can't they just admit they think it's crap instead of damning it with faint praise.
I hope you find the 'effect' of my review 'somewhat pleasing'?
What a bunch of stiffs! (The Pelican guide critics NOT forum users!)

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#406
I'm still surprised that RCA hasn't reissued their Koechlin recordings. I mean, yes, you can buy that 2-CD set, but not everybody wants that. I wish they would reissue them with their original artwork and booklets. I have Zinman's, so only lack the Judd performance of the Seven Stars Symphony.

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#407
BREAKING NEWS:

I have found out through the main member of the Charles Koechlin page on Facebook that he has official news from Hanssler that they will continue their series with the next recording due out in 2012. This next disc will focus on Koechlin orchestrations of Debussy, Schubert, Faure, and some others. I can only hope this will signal more recordings of his original compositions. I do hope it is Holliger conducting, but perhaps this is asking too much?

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 07:22:53 AM
BREAKING NEWS:

I have found out through the main member of the Charles Koechlin page on Facebook that he has official news from Hanssler that they will continue their series with the next recording due out in 2012. This next disc will focus on Koechlin orchestrations of Debussy, Schubert, Faure, and some others. I can only hope this will more recordings of his original compositions. I do hope it is Holliger conducting, but perhaps this is asking too much?

Sounds good, thanks for the update, MI.

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Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 18, 2011, 07:46:04 AM
Sounds good, thanks for the update, MI.

Well, you know, I feel about Koechlin the same way Johan feels about Havergal Brian. He is a composer whose music speaks directly to me and once I have felt his music for the first time there was no turning back. There aren't many composers whose music I truly love, but Koechlin is one of those I have a deep kinship with, which is why I obsessively listen to the same works over and over again. There's just so much mystique about who he was as a composer, and as a person, that his music leaves so many questions unanswered. Obviously, aesthetically, Koechlin is very different from say Brian or Ives, but they share one common feature: they composed a lot of music in the face of total neglect.

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 09:14:49 AM
Well, you know, I feel about Koechlin the same way Johan feels about Havergal Brian. He is a composer whose music speaks directly to me and once I have felt his music for the first time there was no turning back. There aren't many composers whose music I truly love, but Koechlin is one of those I have a deep kinship with, which is why I obsessively listen to the same works over and over again. There's just so much mystique about who he was as a composer, and as a person, that his music leaves so many questions unanswered. Obviously, aesthetically, Koechlin is very different from say Brian or Ives, but they share one common feature: they composed a lot of music in the face of total neglect.

You've helped me explore Koechlin's music, and I couldn't thank you enough. A little more time with some of my new Koechlin recordings and I may get to the point you're at with him.
What are some of the orchestrations he has done?

Just picked up a few Chamber works of Koechlin, absolutely lovely...

[asin]B000HT3P6K[/asin]
[asin]B001PVWXGM[/asin]

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Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 18, 2011, 09:37:57 AM
You've helped me explore Koechlin's music, and I couldn't thank you enough. A little more time with some of my new Koechlin recordings and I may get to the point you're at with him.
What are some of the orchestrations he has done?

Just picked up a few Chamber works of Koechlin, absolutely lovely...




No need to thank me, Greg. I was merely a guiding hand. If I didn't feel confident or believed in his music enough I wouldn't be talking about him right now. His music won't appeal to everybody, which is an understatement within itself. His music will continue to be neglected by the classical establishment and I'm perfectly okay with that. Critics can say what they want to about his music, it doesn't matter to me just like what people have said negatively about Havergal Brian or Ives doesn't matter. These composers poured their hearts and souls into their music. They knew their music couldn't have stood a chance in the crowd of popular taste, but, like I said, they composed their music anyway because they felt it was their moral obligation to do so. This, within itself, is commendable.

Re: Koechlin orchestrations

From Wikipedia:

Koechlin orchestrated several pieces by other composers. In addition to the Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande suite mentioned above he orchestrated the bulk of Claude Debussy's 'legende dansée' Khamma under the composer's direction, from the piano score [1], and orchestrated Cole Porter's ballet Within the Quota; other works he transcribed include Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie and Chabrier's Bourrée Fantasque.

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 09:49:03 AM
No need to thank me, Greg. I was merely a guiding hand. If I didn't feel confident or believed in his music enough I wouldn't be talking about him right now. His music won't appeal to everybody, which is an understatement within itself. His music will continue to be neglected by the classical establishment and I'm perfectly okay with that. Critics can say what they want to about his music, it doesn't matter to me just like what people have said negatively about Havergal Brian or Ives doesn't matter. These composers poured their hearts and souls into their music. They knew their music couldn't have stood a chance in the crowd of popular taste, but, like I said, they composed their music anyway because they felt it was their moral obligation to do so. This, within itself, is commendable.

Re: Koechlin orchestrations

From Wikipedia:

Koechlin orchestrated several pieces by other composers. In addition to the Fauré Pelléas et Mélisande suite mentioned above he orchestrated the bulk of Claude Debussy's 'legende dansée' Khamma under the composer's direction, from the piano score [1], and orchestrated Cole Porter's ballet Within the Quota; other works he transcribed include Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie and Chabrier's Bourrée Fantasque.

Great, thanks for the info, MI.  ;D

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Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 18, 2011, 10:18:49 AM
Great, thanks for the info, MI.  ;D

You're welcome, Greg. I hope you continue to enjoy Koechlin's music. By the way, do you own all of the orchestral recordings now with Holliger/Stuttgart Radio Symphony on Hanssler?

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 12:03:36 PM
You're welcome, Greg. I hope you continue to enjoy Koechlin's music. By the way, do you own all of the orchestral recordings now with Holliger/Stuttgart Radio Symphony on Hanssler?

Sorry for the delayed response,
I have....

-Les Heures persanes op. 65
-Le Docteur Fabricius; Vers la Voûte étoilée
-La course de printemps, Op. 95; Le buisson ardent, Op. 203 & 171
-Vocal works with orchestra

....all with Holliger/Stuttgart Radio Symphony

then The Jungle Book with Zinman on RCA
and the two Chamber discs I mentioned in the previous post.

Mirror Image

Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 18, 2011, 07:43:35 PM
Sorry for the delayed response,
I have....

-Les Heures persanes op. 65
-Le Docteur Fabricius; Vers la Voûte étoilée
-La course de printemps, Op. 95; Le buisson ardent, Op. 203 & 171
-Vocal works with orchestra

....all with Holliger/Stuttgart Radio Symphony

then The Jungle Book with Zinman on RCA
and the two Chamber discs I mentioned in the previous post.

The only thing I see missing is this wonderful recording...

[asin]B002G3DTX4[/asin]

TheGSMoeller

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 08:16:22 PM
The only thing I see missing is this wonderful recording...

[asin]B002G3DTX4[/asin]

Very cool, I'm sure I'll be checking it out very soon.
I noticed there were seperate discs of Koechlin chamber music, one for Oboe, one for Clarinet and another for Flute. Are you familiar with any of these discs, MI?

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Quote from: TheGSMoeller on July 18, 2011, 08:28:42 PM
Very cool, I'm sure I'll be checking it out very soon.
I noticed there were seperate discs of Koechlin chamber music, one for Oboe, one for Clarinet and another for Flute. Are you familiar with any of these discs, MI?

Yes, I don't own the one for oboe, but I own the ones for clarinet and flute on Hanssler and also one for saxophone on Chandos. All are beautiful recordings. I'm usually not one for chamber music, but this music is quite charming. I think, however, that Koechlin's true compositional voice came through his orchestral works. When Koechlin has the full orchestral palette, his range is quite broad. I think of Koechlin like a sonic painter. All pieces start from a different canvas, but, over time, they build up to full-blown tapestries of sound. Each canvas has it's own distinct character.

J.Z. Herrenberg

Quote from: Mirror Image on July 18, 2011, 09:14:49 AMWell, you know, I feel about Koechlin the same way Johan feels about Havergal Brian. He is a composer whose music speaks directly to me and once I have felt his music for the first time there was no turning back.  (...)  Obviously, aesthetically, Koechlin is very different from say Brian or Ives, but they share one common feature: they composed a lot of music in the face of total neglect.


Yes, Koechlin is your Brian, that's clear. We can speculate what sort of temperament you must have to identify so strongly with a given composer. The last two days I have been in the company of many Brianites: if there are any similarities between us, they must lie deep, because outwardly we're all very different.



Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination and life to everything. -- Plato

Mirror Image

Quote from: J. Z. Herrenberg on July 19, 2011, 08:55:48 AM

Yes, Koechlin is your Brian, that's clear. We can speculate what sort of temperament you must have to identify so strongly with a given composer. The last two days I have been in the company of many Brianites: if there are any similarities between us, they must lie deep, because outwardly we're all very different.

I have met a few Koechlin fans online. The person who runs the Facebook fan page is a very knowledgeable person that I've been learning a great deal from. It's also nice to meet people who are devoted to Brian or Ives, because I think these composers have written some of the most powerful music in the 20th Century.

But to actually witness your favorite composer's music in person brings your appreciation to a whole new level I'm sure. I wish I could have been there for Brian Gothic performance. I can't even imagine what you and the other GMG members must have felt during this performance. Words simply can't describe this kind of experience.