Charles Koechlin(1867-1950)

vandermolen · April 19, 2012, 10:15:08 PM

Am greatly enjoying 'Persian Hours' (orchestral + piano versions) on Marco Polo and Naxos.

Karl Henning · April 20, 2012, 04:13:37 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on April 19, 2012, 10:15:08 PM
Am greatly enjoying 'Persian Hours' (orchestral + piano versions) on Marco Polo and Naxos.

As a piano piece, probably my favorite Koechlin.

vandermolen · April 20, 2012, 08:50:39 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on April 20, 2012, 04:13:37 AM
As a piano piece, probably my favorite Koechlin.

Interesting Karl. I must listen more to the piano version. What do you like so much about it?

Mirror Image · April 25, 2012, 08:13:01 AM

FINALLY!!!!!

[asin]B007N0SWQE[/asin]

To be released in the US May 29th.

It appears there is only one original Koechlin composition on the recording so I'm pretty disappointed about that, but it will be nice to have all of his orchestrations of other composer's music together on one disc and some are world premiere recordings.

Karl Henning · April 25, 2012, 08:27:37 AM

Quote from: vandermolen on April 20, 2012, 08:50:39 AM
Interesting Karl. I must listen more to the piano version. What do you like so much about it?

Sorry I dropped the ball, Jeffrey! The whole suite strikes me as something of an étude in soft dynamics (with rare louder bits), that I find the restriction to the palette of the piano better suited.

Karl Henning · April 25, 2012, 08:32:12 AM

Quote from: Mirror Image on April 25, 2012, 08:13:01 AM
FINALLY!!!!!

[asin]B007N0SWQE[/asin]

To be released in the US May 29th.

It appears there is only one original Koechlin composition on the recording so I'm pretty disappointed about that, but it will be nice to have all of his orchestrations of other composer's music together on one disc and some are world premiere recordings.

Reminds me that I do want to get to know Khamma better. Intrigued at the prospect of an orchestrated Wandererfantasie, too.

Mirror Image · April 25, 2012, 08:44:47 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on April 25, 2012, 08:32:12 AM
Reminds me that I do want to get to know Khamma better. Intrigued at the prospect of an orchestrated Wandererfantasie, too.

It'll be cool to hear the Faure too.

Karl Henning · April 25, 2012, 08:46:41 AM

But (unless there's some other orchestration of it at large) . . . I've probably heard all the Fauré on WCRB one time or (and) another. Lovely piece, I mean, only not (for me) a driver for fetching in a CD : )

Mirror Image · April 25, 2012, 08:57:04 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on April 25, 2012, 08:46:41 AM
But (unless there's some other orchestration of it at large) . . . I've probably heard all the Fauré on WCRB one time or (and) another. Lovely piece, I mean, only not (for me) a driver for fetching in a CD : )

No, this work isn't the reason to buy this recording. This may sound silly, but I'm buying because of the lone Koechlin work on the recording.

Karl Henning · April 25, 2012, 09:04:30 AM

Nah, shouldn't call that silly, particularly if it be a piece not available elsewhere. Fanatic, but not silly : )

Mirror Image · April 25, 2012, 09:14:07 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on April 25, 2012, 09:04:30 AM
Nah, shouldn't call that silly, particularly if it be a piece not available elsewhere. Fanatic, but not silly : )

To make matters even more fanatic, this work is only about 5 minutes long! How cruel Hanssler has become!

pjme · April 25, 2012, 12:49:57 PM

Sur les flots lointains has been done before . But I suppose & think that the new recording is better.

Let's hope the symphonies are next...or those works with organ : opus 177: Le jeu de la Nativité, opus 49:l'Espérance, Chorals opus 76...And how about Saint Georges, opus 121 (fugue symphonique)? La cité nouvelle, rêve d'avenir, opus 170...

P.

Mirror Image · April 25, 2012, 01:39:03 PM

Quote from: pjme on April 25, 2012, 12:49:57 PM

Sur les flots lointains has been done before . But I suppose & think that the new recording is better.

Let's hope the symphonies are next...or those works with organ : opus 177: Le jeu de la Nativité, opus 49:l'Espérance, Chorals opus 76...And how about Saint Georges, opus 121 (fugue symphonique)? La cité nouvelle, rêve d'avenir, opus 170...

P.

You're so right! I forgot about that Segerstam recording which I suppose reveals how much I actually play any of Segerstam's Koechlin recordings. Holliger is clearly the superior conductor in this music, has the better audio quality, and the finer orchestra.

Mirror Image · April 30, 2012, 05:53:30 PM

Clearly I've been bitten by the Koechlin bug yet again, I've just heard Vers la voûte étoilée for the...ah...who's keeping count and what an exquisite work this is! There's something in Koechlin's music that touches me like no other. Again, I go back to the fact that we all have composers that we gravitate towards and Koechlin made a huge impression on me last year. I only hope this new Holliger recording coming out is going to signal more releases.

Karl Henning · May 01, 2012, 02:20:40 AM

Interesting. I revisited La voûte myself, Friday I think it must have been. Liked it the best I have so far : )

Mirror Image · May 01, 2012, 09:26:02 AM

Quote from: karlhenning on May 01, 2012, 02:20:40 AM
Interesting. I revisited La voûte myself, Friday I think it must have been. Liked it the best I have so far : )

Really? That's awesome, Karl. I'm glad you enjoyed. I really do think highly of it.

cilgwyn · December 04, 2012, 03:52:22 AM

I have just been reading posts on another forum (Dundonnell will know the one!

) describing Koechlin's music as 'uninsipired' and 'formulaic'! I must admit,I don't like everything I have heard by Koechlin,but formulaic?!!

cilgwyn · December 04, 2012, 10:58:54 AM

Thanks to those forum posts I've got out my cds of the Seven Stars Symphony & The Jungle Book. Funny how some negative observations (I'm being polite!

) can remind you of some wonderful music. Far from being uninspired & formulaic,Koechlin's music is very different from any of his French contemporaries. Why anyone would draw their comparisons from Debussy & Ravel is another mystery! Because they're more famous? Because they can't think of anyone else? I'm not an expert on French music,by any means,but I would have thought Roussel or Florent Schmitt would be more appropriate comparisons?!

Karl Henning · December 04, 2012, 11:02:17 AM

Well, there is that tie-in to Debussy, of Koechlin's having orchestrated Khamma . . . .

Mirror Image · December 04, 2012, 11:41:12 AM

Quote from: cilgwyn on December 04, 2012, 03:52:22 AM
I have just been reading posts on another forum (Dundonnell will know the one! ) describing Koechlin's music as 'uninsipired' and 'formulaic'! I must admit,I don't like everything I have heard by Koechlin,but formulaic?!!

Good to see some life on this thread.

Koechlin's music uninspired and formulaic? This is the criticism? Honestly, I don't even care. Some person on an Amazon forum said he would rather jump off a cliff than listen to Koechlin's "boring and dreary" music.

I haven't enjoyed everything I've heard from Koechlin, like you said, but he's incredibly high up on my list of favorite composers, especially with works like Le buisson ardent Parts I & II, Vers la Voûte étoilée, Le Docteur Fabricius, The Jungle Book, and Chant funebre a la memoire des jeunes femmes defuntes. This is music that never fails to send my mind into another time and place.