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SusanDoris
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« on: 16:21:24, 21-03-2007 » |
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May I ask if anyone has a few brief comments on the music of Germaine Tailleferre? On the Miscellaneous section of another MB (which almost never mentions music), I said that I had been listening to Poulenc's Gloria and this resulted in several exchanges, during which the above name cropped up.
I have been to HMV today to pick up the new recording by Arcadi Volodos of Liszt music and asked about her. There appear to be quite a few CDs but I have no idea what her music is like.
Thank you.
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pim_derks
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« Reply #1 on: 16:42:25, 21-03-2007 » |
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Hello Susan,
Thank you very much for opening a discussion about Germaine Tailleferre. Her music is still a but under-rated, I think. She was a member of Les Six, but that doesn't say very much. After all, Arthur Honegger and Francis Poulenc were also members of this group and their music has very little in common.
To give you an impression of her music try to imagine a very French and very melodic kind of neoclassical music. Her music isn't experimental like that of Darius Milhaud, it isn't as serious as that of Honegger and it isn't very romantic like some of Poulenc's pieces. Some of her pieces (like her waltzes for piano) show a strong influence of Erik Satie and her orchestrations have more to do with his ballet Parade than with impressionism. She wrote a lot of works for all kind of instruments. I also know some very nice songs by her. Not a very original or remarkable composer, but a very fine musician from the days tonal music in France was not dismissed as something vulgar or trivial. If you like composers like Satie, Auric, Ibert, Tomasi and Francaix, you will not be disappointed by Germaine Tailleferre.
Best wishes,
Pim
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"People hate anything well made. It gives them a guilty conscience." John Betjeman
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tonybob
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« Reply #2 on: 18:54:10, 21-03-2007 » |
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Her music - what i know of it - seems to me to be very gentle, flowing and quietly melodic*, like Faure.
*no, me neither...
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sososo s & i.
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pim_derks
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« Reply #3 on: 19:07:37, 21-03-2007 » |
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Her music - what i know of it - seems to me to be very gentle, flowing and quietly melodic*, like Faure. That's true, tonybob. Only the music of Faure is more introvert and melancholy. Tailleferre's music is more light-hearted. But both composers share an interest for classical forms. |
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"People hate anything well made. It gives them a guilty conscience." John Betjeman
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #4 on: 21:38:58, 21-03-2007 » |
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There's a gorgeous harp concertino (1927), which has had at least two recordings (Zabaletta on DG, and Benet on Koch) clearly related to Ravel, but with a tang of the Stravinsky of Petrushka and Pulcinella; it's usually forgotten that she was still writing until soon before her comparatively recent death in 1983 - her last major work, Concerto de la fidelite pour voix elevee et orchestre (1981) won the 1982 Prix de la Ville de Paris.
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Chichivache
Posts: 128
The artiste formerly known as Gabrielle d’Estrées
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« Reply #5 on: 23:15:08, 21-03-2007 » |
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Any recommendations? Only remember having heard Harp Concerto, and that many years ago.
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wotthehell toujours gai archy
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #6 on: 23:42:42, 21-03-2007 » |
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I've just revisted a compilation disc of her work, which came from one of those cheap chain bookshops years ago (Intrada 11 58582, now reissued as Helicon HE 1008) and contains chamber and vocal works across her career from 1918-1972. On this basis of this, I'd say that the Concertino for Harp is probably the best place to start; to be frank not all the works on this disc show her in a very good light. The String Quartet could almost be a Vaughan Williams work; there are other places where I'm reminded as much of the English light music hinterland as much as the French scene. The Chansons Populaires Françaises have echoes of the Canteloube Auvergne songs, and the Deux Valses for piano duet are similarly coloured by Satie, though the Sonate Pour Harpe is pleasant enough. There's a second Helicon disc, I see, which might or might not be worth a try... http://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//HE1008.htmhttp://www.mdt.co.uk/MDTSite/product//HE1048.htm |
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roslynmuse
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« Reply #7 on: 00:08:14, 22-03-2007 » |
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On the rather tenuous grounds of recommending another French female composer, may I put in a word for Lili Boulanger; the music of hers that I have heard - particularly the choral pieces, but also some fine songs - is rather more striking and individual than that of Tailleferre. But along with others here, I would recommend the harp concertino, and I do rather like the string 4tet.
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thompson1780
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« Reply #8 on: 09:36:30, 22-03-2007 » |
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In my collection the only Taillferre I have is the Harp Sonate, in a recital by Maria Graf. I must say it is rather good though!
Tommo
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Made by Thompson & son, at the Violin & c. the West end of St. Paul's Churchyard, LONDON
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Ron Dough
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« Reply #9 on: 09:45:29, 22-03-2007 » |
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SusanDoris
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« Reply #10 on: 19:34:25, 22-03-2007 » |
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Thank you for all that interesting information. I shall note down the various CDs and see what HMV can get for me. (I have not tried buying anything through Amazon, although I have a friend who does). I like the music of Ravel, Fauré and particularly Poulenc, so I think I shall be spending some more money on CDs! I had not heard of Tailleferre before. I did in fact ordered a CD which contains music by 'Les Sixes' but I do not know what pieces are on it.
(I collected a new CD yesterday with Arcadi Volodos playing Liszt which I am listening to at the moment. However, I find that I cannot listen to a lot of Liszt in one go - a little goes a long way - but as it is Volodos's latest, it is worth buying.)
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« Last Edit: 19:38:32, 22-03-2007 by SusanDoris »
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pim_derks
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« Reply #11 on: 14:43:04, 31-03-2007 » |
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On the rather tenuous grounds of recommending another French female composer, may I put in a word for Lili Boulanger; the music of hers that I have heard - particularly the choral pieces, but also some fine songs - is rather more striking and individual than that of Tailleferre. For the online listeners: http://www.wdr.de/radio/wdr3/sendung.phtml?sendung=WDR%203%20Nachtmusik&termineid=362647&objektart=SendungTonight at nine (UK) or ten (Central Europe): orchestral songs and chamber music by Lili Boulanger on WDR 3. |
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"People hate anything well made. It gives them a guilty conscience." John Betjeman
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SusanDoris
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« Reply #12 on: 15:06:11, 31-03-2007 » |
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pim_derks
Well, I am very pleased I looked at this site this afternoon as that sounds interesting. I just clicked on the link and do I assume that I click on the blue 'actuel' in order to listen live?
The CD I ordered is not in yet, so I have not heard any of the Germaine Tailleferre's music yet.
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BobbyZ
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« Reply #13 on: 15:21:53, 31-03-2007 » |
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Susan Doris
I think you go to the options on the left of the screen and select "stream". That takes you to a screen to select your pc player ( real audio , windows media etc ) and then click on "starten".
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Dreams, schemes and themes
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pim_derks
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« Reply #14 on: 15:23:12, 31-03-2007 » |
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pim_derks
Well, I am very pleased I looked at this site this afternoon as that sounds interesting. I just clicked on the link and do I assume that I click on the blue 'actuel' in order to listen live? When you want to listen live, you have to click on the Streaming symbol, it is the fourth symbol under the word Programmvorschau on the top of the page.  |
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"People hate anything well made. It gives them a guilty conscience." John Betjeman
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