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French music

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Dundonnell
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« Reply #30 on: January 12, 2013, 04:11:00 am »

I should indicate that in uploading a number of pieces by Olivier Messiaen, in (I hope) radio broadcasts, I am not suggesting that I actually like most of Messiaen's music.

I do like the earliest orchestral music and the organ music(the last part of "La Nativite du Seigneur" is just about the most exciting music for organ I know and I have had the privilege of sitting beside an organist performing the work :)).

Later Messiaen however I do find very taxing and complex. I admire the composer's artistic integrity and deep religious conviction. It is entirely because I was so unfamiliar with this later music that I have been listening to it recently and thought that others might want to share that experience.
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guest145
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« Reply #31 on: January 13, 2013, 01:35:55 am »

Thank you, Colin. I adore Messiaen's music on the whole, though I do find some of his works from the 1950s somewhat tough going. I share your appreciation for the early works, and I think his last works are really quite easy to digest. As for the organ music -- as an organist myself, I consider them magnificent. Right now I'm learning "Le banquet celeste" for a performance sometime this spring. And yes, "Dieu parmi nous" from "Nativite" is indeed one of the most impressive things anyone can ever hope to hear from an organ. In a cathedral it will transport you! Again, though, some of the organ music from the 1960s and 1970s is not immediately comprehensible to the ear.

Personally, in addition to the works mentioned, probably my favorite piece of Messiaen's is "Visions de l'Amen," for 2 pianos. Also, I love his "Des canyons aux etoiles." I don't list to it so much for structure or comprehension, rather for the color, imagination and sheer beauty of sounds he evokes in it. Impressionistic in a way.

Finally, I should mention that one of the most memorable musical moments in my life was meeting Messiaen backstage at Tanglewood, along with his wife, after they performed together in a concert of his works. A lovely, gracious couple.
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Dundonnell
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« Reply #32 on: January 13, 2013, 01:42:50 am »

That is both interesting and informative. Thanks :)

I had (temporarily) forgotten that the movement I was referring to was "Dieu parmi nous" :-[  It was-alas-not in a cathedral but in a very small church that I was treated to a performance, about 40 years ago now. Sitting next to the organist, who was and still is a very good friend, I marvelled as he spread his feet along the organ pedals to produce those quite gloriously exciting and dramatic sounds you will know so well :)
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lescamil
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« Reply #33 on: January 23, 2013, 10:24:15 pm »

Thank you for the Messiaen. Is there any information on dates, performances venues, soloists, etc?

Olivier Messiaen(1908-92):

"Les Offrandes oubliee"(1930):

Polish National Radio Symphony Orchestra(Lukasz Borowicz)


Continuing the feast of music by Olivier Messiaen:

"Hymne au Saint Sacrement"(1932):

Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam(Mariss Jansons)



"Et exspecto resurrectionem mortuorum" for wind, brass and percussion(1964):

London Symphony Orchestra(Sir Simon Rattle)



"La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ" for solo instruments, chorus and orchestra(1969):

BBC National Orchestra of Wales(Thierry Fischer)



Quadruple Concerto for Piano, Flute, Oboe, Cello and Orchestra(1991):

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra(Ilan Volkov)



"Eclairs sur l'Au-Dela"(1992):

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra(Ilan Volkov)



« Last Edit: January 24, 2013, 01:11:12 am by the Administration » Report Spam   Logged
Dundonnell
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« Reply #34 on: January 23, 2013, 11:17:48 pm »

"Hymne au Saint Sacrement", 28 August 2008, Royal Concertgebouw, Amsterdam

"Et exspector resurrectionem mortuorum", 7 March 2011, Barbican, London

"La Transfiguration de Notre Seigneur Jesus-Christ", Gerard Bouwhuis - piano,Adam Walker - flute,Julian Bliss - clarinet,Sonia Wieder-Atherton - cello,Colin Currie - xylophone,Adrian Spillett - marimba,Richard Benjafield - vibraphone. Philharmonia Voices.BBC Symphony Chorus, BBC National Chorus of Wales

.....is all I can add.
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lescamil
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« Reply #35 on: January 24, 2013, 08:28:19 am »

After some research, I have come up with some info that I am fairly positive about (turns out I already had some of these, too):

Les offrandes oubliées

Polish Radio Symphony Orchestra
Lukasz Borowicz, conductor
Polska Orkiestra Radiowa, 2008 - 2009 season
Tuesday 24 November 2008, Lutoslawski Concert Studio, Warsaw


Concert à quatre

Cédric Tiberghien, piano
Emily Beynon, flute
Alexei Ogrintchouk, oboe
Danjulo Ishizaka, cello
BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov, conductor
Prom 45, 19 August 2008


Éclairs sur l'au-delà

BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra
Ilan Volkov, conductor
Edinburgh International Festival 2008, August 10, 2008
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guest145
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« Reply #36 on: January 24, 2013, 07:14:24 pm »

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He hasn't been totally neglected, several of his chamber works are on disc, as well as his Cello Concerto "Durch Adam's Fall" played by Henri Demarquette and which has an mp3 download available on French retailers. I had recorded it played with the Riga Kamermusiki, Normunds Sne and Demarquette, but it doesn't seem complete, nor could I verify it was a concert recording.

It is indeed a concert recording -- I streamed it from Latvian Radio, probably around the same time you did. I'm quite sure mine is complete -- I can upload it if you want to compare with yours. An excellent work, and a fine composer, indeed.
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mjkFendrich
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« Reply #37 on: January 24, 2013, 08:29:50 pm »

I've just uploaded a different live recording of Greif's cello concerto
with Jean-Guihen Queyras as soloist & Marc Minkowski as conductor.
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kyjo
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« Reply #38 on: January 24, 2013, 09:14:55 pm »

Thanks for Greif's Cello Concerto! It's especially nice to hear an orchestral work of his since he concentrated mainly on chamber/vocal/instrumental music. His music has a harrowing emotional intensity that is quite rarely found in French music (not to say French music isn't emotional, it's just usually not as dark as Greif's music). His music often recalls Shostakovich (again rare for a French composer) in its dark anguish, but has a unique sound-world nonetheless. I especially enjoyed his Piano Trio, String Quartet no. 4 Ulysses and Sonate de Requiem for cello and piano. Unfortunately, most of the CDs of his music are quite hard to find now :(
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guest145
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« Reply #39 on: January 25, 2013, 03:38:41 am »

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I've just uploaded a different live recording of Greif's cello concerto
with Jean-Guihen Queyras as soloist & Marc Minkowski as conductor.

Thank you!
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shamus
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« Reply #40 on: January 25, 2013, 03:57:24 am »

Thanks to both Latvian and mjkfendrich--if I got that wrong, I have short term memory problems--I will indeed enjoy hearing the complete Cello Concerto. I would like to hear some of Greif's Choral/Orchestral works, but that seems unlikely somehow, unless someone has archival recordings. Jim
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guest145
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« Reply #41 on: August 05, 2013, 05:28:18 pm »

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Jehan Alain (1911-1940)

When Alain was killed in combat in 1940 the orchestral partition was not finished, it was completed by Raymond Gallois-Montbrun (1918-1994)

Trois Danses pour orchestre (1939, organ version)
http://www.mediafire.com/?azkxq0fgdzcvz64
Orchestre Philharmonique de L'ORTF, Georges Tzipine conducting

From the archives of Radio France

I believe the link is to another work, which appears to be in four movements. A quick comparison to an organ recording of the Danses doesn't match up, either.
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autoharp
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« Reply #42 on: August 06, 2013, 10:30:33 pm »

It's definitely not Trois Danses, nor is it by Alain!
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rbert12
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« Reply #43 on: August 07, 2013, 12:18:01 am »

I am sorry for the mistake, but the link is correct, the intro of the French Radio is for the Trois Danses, so I have no more information about this work. I have removed it.
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guest145
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« Reply #44 on: August 07, 2013, 01:51:52 pm »

Perhaps we should repost the clip as a "mystery" item and see if anyone can identify it. It's interesting music, even if not by Alain!
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