Charles Koechlin(1867-1950)

[Karl Henning]

Those String Quartet/Piano Quintet cds were pretty impressive.

Agreed; some of my favorite Koechlin.

[Mirror Image]

I revived this thread because I seriously believe that Nate (EigenUser) needs to listen to Koechlin's music. Nate, if you're reading, run, don't walk over to Spotify (or wherever you listen to music these days) and check out Heinz Holliger's recordings of Koechlin on Hanssler. You will NOT be sorry. Right up your alley.

To give Nate a little taste of Koechlin, try this work:

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

[MishaK]

I note with delight that the Berlin Philharmonic will be performing Koechlin's Les Bandar-log under Simon Rattle on February 20, 2016 which will be avaliable live (and later in the archive) in the Digital Concert Hall, as just announced in their new season program.

[Karl Henning]

Now:



Listening to Le buisson ardent, Parts I & II. Magical music.

John, what's the story to the apparently backwards opus numbers (203 & 171) there for Le buisson ardent? TIA

[Mirror Image]

John, what's the story to the apparently backwards opus numbers (203 & 171) there for Le buisson ardent? TIA

Apparently, Koechlin was writing Le buisson ardent, Part I and put it down to work on some ideas he had for Le buisson ardent, Part II and he finished the second part before he finished the first, so he assigned an opus number to the one he finished first.

[Karl Henning]

Thanks!  And being prolific, he got a lot of other work done in the interval.

[Mirror Image]

Thanks!  And being prolific, he got a lot of other work done in the interval.

You're welcome and, yes, he was quite a busy man, especially with all of the other things he had going on in his life (i. e. teaching, loved bicycling/hiking, photography).

[Karl Henning]

Koechlin & Saint-Saëns . . . not a lot of grass grew beneath their feet . . . .

[Mirror Image]

Koechlin & Saint-Saëns . . . not a lot of grass grew beneath their feet . . . .

Indeed.

[springrite]

Agreed; some of my favorite Koechlin.

The AS recording by the Antigone quartet?

[Karl Henning]

Aye, Paul.

[springrite]

Thanks!

[Mirror Image]

Oh and Nate (if you ever read this), Koechlin loved using the ondes martenot and wrote some gorgeous parts for it. Again, Koechlin's music is right up your alley!

[cilgwyn]

Think I'll put the Seven Stars Symphony on again,soon. It might not be his best piece of music,but I seem to recall,it has it's moments.
Maybe the Jungle Book cycle,then. A Koechlin weekend!

[Mirror Image]

Think I'll put the Seven Stars Symphony on again,soon. It might not be his best piece of music,but I seem to recall,it has it's moments.
Maybe the Jungle Book cycle,then. A Koechlin weekend!

Sounds good. What performance do you own of Seven Stars Symphony, cilgwyn?

[Mirror Image]

I may have posted this review I wrote on the The Jungle Book but here it is again. Personally, I believe it's one of the better reviews I've written:

Charles Koechlin (pronounced KAY CLAN) is, in my estimate, one of the most underrated French composers of all-time. He was overshadowed by Debussy and Ravel because he did not know how to promote his music and had very few conductors that were interested in getting his music performed. I'm sure this could be debated, but let's face it, his music won't be spoken in the same breath as Brahms any time soon, especially if the more conservative audiences have anything to say about it. Orchestras continue to rehash the same old programs year after year with no new repertoire being performed. I honestly think "The Jungle Book" could gain repertory status if it had proper exposure. To my knowledge only two recordings exist of the complete cycle: this one from Zinman and the other one from Steuart Bedford. Leif Segerstam recorded all of the cycle except for "Three Poems," which I find puzzling, because Segerstam has released several other Koechlin recordings on Marco Polo. You would think he would perform the whole "Jungle Book" cycle. Anyway, in all honesty, the Bedford and Segerstam simply can't compete with Zinman who I think has the full measure of this music. Zinman may seem like an odd choice, but I think he has a full grasp of the wide scope which "The Jungle Book" requires to be successful.

Now I would like to talk about the music, which I think is some of the most original music to come out of the early to mid 20th Century. This work preoccupied Koechlin for many years. I would say, if you're familiar with his style, this is a very approachable work, but if you're unfamiliar with his music then I should say approach with a little caution. This is not to scare you off but rather warn you that you've never heard anything quite like this before. Koechlin favors harmony and texture over melody and rhythm, but don't let this fool you, these are not atmospheric pieces that tickle your ear, this is highly complex music that when the climaxes thrust forward, you will feel like someone has just punched you in the face. Koechlin is an incredible orchestrator, probably one of the finest in music history along with Ravel, Rimsky-Korsakov, R. Strauss, Schoenberg, etc. The colors he's able to pull from the orchestra are simply astonishing. His approach to harmony is also one of the key characteristics of his music. Nobody writes harmony like this. In fact, Koechlin has written a treatise about harmony and also orchestration. It should be noted that while Koechlin's music was obscure, he was well respected as an educator and was highly regarded by his peers.

This music is so hard to describe, but I think if you have an open-mind about music then Koechlin won't be too difficult for you to grasp. I recommend repeat listening of his music, because so often people will miss some of the subtlety that his music offers. This isn't highly driven music like Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring" or Bartok's "The Miraculous Mandarin," but it does have it's moments of rhythmic thrust. The performances from Zinman and the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra are exemplary. Iris Vermillion, one of the loveliest voices I've heard in quite some time, Johan Botha, and Ralf Lukas are all impeccable. Also, the audio quality is remarkably good.

If you enjoy "The Jungle Book," then please check out Hanssler's series of Koechlin. The orchestral recordings are led by Heinz Holliger with the Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra and have proven to be a revelation to me. Zinman's "The Jungle Book" is out-of-print, but should be available in the used market. Enjoy the music!

[Ken B]

Oh and Nate (if you ever read this), Koechlin loved using the ondes martenot and wrote some gorgeous parts for it. Again, Koechlin's music is right up your alley!

Careful Nate! John tricked me into wasting $ on The Jungle Book!
You've been warned!



Actually I liked his chamber music and small scale stuff. Just not the bloated behemoth orchestral stuff.

[Mirror Image]

Careful Nate! John tricked me into wasting $ on The Jungle Book!
You've been warned!



Actually I liked his chamber music and small scale stuff. Just not the bloated behemoth orchestral stuff.

I do like many of Koechlin's chamber works, but his orchestral and vocal music are where it's at for me. The larger the behemoth, the better I like it.

[Ken B]

The larger the behemoth, the better I like it.

Have I got advice for you then! One word, Turangalila.

[Mirror Image]

Have I got advice for you then! One word, Turangalila.