French late Romantic music:Timpani records

[PJME]

I have no idea if these recordings are easily available in the US. For those who are interested in late Romantic / early 20th century music ( + a substantial Xenakis and Ohana discography) ,their catalogue is a treasure trove. http://www.timpani-records.com/
Recent issues :

Gabriel Pierné (1863-1937)

Impressions de music-hall (1927)
Rideau - Chorus girls (French blues) - L'Excentrique (Little Tich) - Le Numéro espagnol - Clowns musicaux (les Fratellini)
Fantaisie basque, pour violon et orchestre (1927)
Izéÿl, suite d'orchestre (1926)
Entrée du Roi - Entrée des princesses - Introduction et Lamento - Sérénade à Izéÿl
Divertissements sur un thème pastoral (1931)

Philippe Koch, violon
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
Direction Bramwell Tovey
ref. 1C1096



Guy Ropartz : Quatuors à cordes n°2 & n°3 [1er volume d'une intégrale des 6 quatuors]
Quatuor Stanislas TIMPANI : 1C1099

Guy Ropartz : Symphonies n°2 & n°5
Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, dir. Sebastian Lang Lessing TIMPANI : 1C1097
-
D'Indy : Poème des rivages ; Istar ; Diptyque méditerranéen
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, dir. Emmanuel Krivine TIMPANI : 1C1101
- Parution le 18 mai.

Ropartz : Symphonie n°3 & Petite Symphonie
Orchestre Symphonique et Lyrique de Nancy, dir. Sebastian Lang Lessing
TIMPANI
- Will be issued in 2007

Projects : L'éditeur Timpani prépare une intégrale de la musique de chambre de Pierné et un superbe disque comprenant L'An Mil, les Paysages franciscains et Les Cathédrales.

this last project is very promissing! Pierné's l'An mil (The year 1000) is an imposing and original "Poème symphonique"for chorus and orchestra,depicting graphically the fears and prayers of the French people at the arrival of the year 1000 "3 parts : Misere mei - Fete des fous et de l'ane - Te deum) .Paysages Franciscains is a very atmospheric tone poem and the music to the play Les Cathédrales somber and majestic.

[Lance]

I have just ONE Timpani recording [1013], the music of Charles Valentin Alkan. A fine recording of a violin sonata, a cello sonata and a piano trio. It's outstanding. It looks like a fine label that isn't afraid to issue something new. I don't think distribution is all that great but Timpani is distributed in the USA, maybe by Allegro or Qualiton.

[Reed]

A fine label. I am very interested in French music from the late 19th and early 20th centuries. Among Timpani recordings I've particularly enjoyed are an hour-long ballet by Pierne, Cydalise et le Chevre-pied (if you enjoy Daphis and Chloe, you'll like this), and a recent recording of two Auric ballets, Phedre and Le Peinture at son modale. This is more 20th century, harder edged, but tonal and tuneful. Both discs are wel-performed and recorded, with good notes.

Another project they had several years ago was a multi-disc survey of the chamber music of Honegger. Great stuff. Don't know if these are still available, but the Pierne and Auric are.

Haven't heard any of their Ropartz symphony series yet, but am very interested in this, and pleased someone has taken on the project of a set of his complete symphonies.

Very pleased to hear of the upcoming Pierne volume. Thanks for the news!

Vive la France! Vive la Timpani!

[Modernistfan]

If you have ears that are tough enough, you might try that Xenakis series on Timpani, now up to 4 CDs, with more on the way, I believe. These are his works for full orchestra performed by the Luxembourg Philharmonic, which has been drastically upgraded in recent years. I listened to "Jonchaies" last night from that recording; I don't recommend listening to that work in a dark alley.

There is a funny story associated with one of the Xenakis works in that series, "Eridanos" in Volume 3 of the series. A few years ago, on "Classics Today" on April 1, they posted a spoof review of a recording supposedly entitled "Four Last Downloads" which was purportedly obtained from Xenakis's computer after his death. One of the works on that (fictitious) CD was entitled "Chlamydia," and it was supposedly based on the DNA sequence of the genetic information of that bacterium. What neither I nor the spoof reviewer (I believe it was David Hurwitz) knew at that time is that Xenakis had actually written a work based on the structure of DNA. That work is "Eridanos." (The Timpani CD, 1068, on which that work appears was released about six months after the April Fool review.) The details as to how DNA structure is translated into musical information were somewhat different between the spoof work and Xenakis's actual "Eridanos," but the basic idea was remarkably similar.

[PJME]

Hello Reed, thanks for the reaction.Cydalise et le chevre pied is indeed a beautiful score.
Many years ago, an uncle gave me an 78 rpm disc which had only the "Entrée" of the little fauns on it. Then I discovered the 2 suites Pierné made from the ballet. But the complete work (only on Timpani - with wordless chorus) is much richer and just brimms with happy tunes and sparkling orchestration.
"l'An Mil" dates from 1899, is much more dramatic and "quasi religous." I know the work through a performance by Jean Fournet with the Dutch Radio Orchestra & chorus (at least) 15 years ago, in Utrecht- The work was picked up again in 2000 (in Nancy, Metz -Pierné's birthplace, Strasbourg) for the Millenium festivities.
It starts with a dark, brooding first movement ( Have mercy Lord...): the people think that the world will come to an end in the year 1000...they seek shelter in churches and wait for the Apocalypse....However, in the second movement, a vulgar parody of the Mass is performed : the terror is symbolical, nothing will happen. A donkey is introduced into the church,followed by a group of "Fous" and those who try to forget the menace outside...a wild charivari ensues. Night of the last day...
At dawn, the sun rises. Nothing has happened. The people thank God ,singing a glorious te Deum....and everything ends peacefully and quietly. It is oldfashioned maybe, but proves Pierné's mastery & inventive spirit. Great to see that it will be recorded.

PS:http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00000 ... nce&n=5174
Here you can listen to the "original" Fete de l'Ane - office des Fous"
Maybe someone has the old Erato LP:
Office des Fous et Messe de l'Âne
Pierre de Corbeil - Officium festi fatuorum
Office des Fous et Messe de l'Âne
Ensemble vocal & instrumental Guillaume Dufay - Arsène Bedois, dir.
Erato STU 71 285 [LP]

[Wallingford]

I've got Tympani's long-out-of-print (here in the states, anyway) collection of the LAMOUREUX ORCHESTRA's late-20s/early-30s discs with ALBERT WOLFF at the baton. Such an incredible achievement, with 4 CD's worth of French repertory, recorded in such a small span of time.