Durosoir: Le Balcon by Sequenza 9.3, Quatuor Diotima, Trio Hoboken, Quintette Aquilon - Uhune

ALBUM

French label Alpha has devoted itself mostly to historical performances of Baroque and Classical works, including in each album a reproduction, together with detail shots, of an artwork that may be directly or at least tangentially related to the music being performed. The format is equally suited to Romantic music and even music of the 20th century, into which Alpha ventures here. The label brings together various performers in the music of Lucien Durosoir, a composer and World War I veteran (he studied counterpoint in the trenches) whose music was largely forgotten but has been revived through the efforts of his son. It's well worth a fresh hearing, with a sort of post-Impressionist language that allows for a good deal of experiment. Durosoir, in fact, is at his best in pieces like the wholly original Le Balcon (track 1), composed in 1924. The work offers a sort of polyphonic reading of a Baudelaire poem, with a setting of the text for a bass soloist accompanied by wordless choral sounds and strings. Durosoir's designation is "for bass solo, cordes vocales, et cordes instrumentales": bass solo, vocal cords, and instrumental cords. Poetry or other extramusical inspiration seems to lurk in the background of several of these works. The purely abstract Piano Trio in B minor is equally interesting, with its jagged surfaces and excursions into non-tonal harmonic zones; much of Durosoir's music was written for chamber ensembles, a canvas that allowed him to try out new structures on a small scale. The painting accompanying the recording (with essays in French and English) also represents a balcony: it is by Manet, and Quebec art historian Dénis Grenier points to an experimental spirit, an ability to think out blocks of a new language, as common to both artists. A very nice find for lovers of French music of the early 20th century.

1. Poème symphonique «Le Balcon» pour basse solo, cordes vocales et cordes instrumentales

by Ensemble Sequenza 9.3, Catherine Simonpiétri, Jean-christophe Jacques, Quatuor Diotima

Primary Artist: Catherine Simonpietri
Ensemble Sequenza 9.3
Jean-christophe Jacques
Quatuor Diotima; Main Performer
Performer: Ensemble Sequenza 9.3
Catherine Simonpietri
Jean-christophe Jacques
Quatuor Diotima; Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer
Lyricist: Charles Baudelaire; Composer

2. Sonnet à un enfant pour soprano et piano

by Kareen Durand, Jeff Cohen

Primary Artist: Jeff Cohen
Kareen Durand; Main Performer
Performer: Kareen Durand
Jeff Cohen; Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer
Lyricist: Raymond De Tailhède; Composer

3. Idylle pour quatuor d'instruments à vent

by Quintette Aquilon

Primary Artist: Quintette Aquilon; Main Performer
Performer: Quintette Aquilon; Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer
Lyricist: André Chénier; Composer

4. Trilogie: Improvisation, Maïade, Divertissement pour violoncelle et piano: I. Improvisation

by Raphaël Merlin, Johan Farjot

Performer: Raphaël Merlin
Johan Farjot; Performer
Primary Artist: Johan Farjot
Raphaël Merlin; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

5. Trilogie: Improvisation, Maïade, Divertissement pour violoncelle et piano: II. Maïade

by Raphaël Merlin, Johan Farjot

Performer: Raphaël Merlin
Johan Farjot; Performer
Primary Artist: Johan Farjot
Raphaël Merlin; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

6. Trilogie: Improvisation, Maïade, Divertissement pour violoncelle et piano: III. Divertissement

by Raphaël Merlin, Johan Farjot

Performer: Raphaël Merlin
Johan Farjot; Performer
Primary Artist: Johan Farjot
Raphaël Merlin; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

7. Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle en Si Mineur: I. Calme et clair

by Trio Hoboken

Performer: Trio Hoboken; Performer
Primary Artist: Trio Hoboken; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

8. Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle en Si Mineur: II. Lent

by Trio Hoboken

Performer: Trio Hoboken; Performer
Primary Artist: Trio Hoboken; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

9. Trio pour piano, violon et violoncelle en Si Mineur: III. Final

by Trio Hoboken

Performer: Trio Hoboken; Performer
Primary Artist: Trio Hoboken; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

10. Berceuse pour violoncelle et piano

by Eric Picard, Jérôme Granjon

Performer: Eric Picard
Jérôme Granjon; Performer
Primary Artist: Eric Picard
Jérôme Granjon; Main Performer
Composer: Lucien Durosoir; Composer

Technical Specifications

Volume

1 volume only

Tracks

10 tracks available

Type

ALBUM

Format

Digital Media

Duration

1 hour, 19 minutes and 16 seconds

Explicit

None

Coverart

Available and up to 800x800 px

Booklet

Available in PDF format

Max Quality

Studio Quality (Hi-Res)

24bit / 88.2 kHz

Stereo

Audio Extension

Hi-Res/Lossless: FLAC, M4A, WAV, WV, AIFF

Lossy: AAC, MP3, M4A, MP4, OGA, OGG, OPUS, WMA

Archive Format

Available in these formats: ZIP, TAR, RAR

Lyrics

No lyrics found

Synchronized Lyrics

No synced lyrics found

Genres

Classical, Vocal

Label

Alpha

Music Distribution Service

Naxos of America Inc.

Country

France

Language

English (United States)

Popularity

Release Date

Feb 28, 2011

Track Preview

Available

Delivery Charge

Free

Delivery Method

Digital download link via Email or Personal Dashboard on this site

UPC

3760014191756