The avant-garde music of today sometimes seems rather hackneyed and inoffensive. Yet it is under this title that Berlin pianist Corinna Simon reveals “L'Album des Six”, a joint work that owes its recognition to a French arts journal published in 1920. In fact, none of the pieces had been written especially for the occasion and the arbitrary collection of works by Durey, Auric, Honegger, Milhaud, Poulenc and Tailleferre reinforced the myth surrounding a group of young composers who were brought together by a chance concert and made popular thanks to the pen of critic Henri Collet, immediately followed by that of Jean Cocteau.
The six young musicians were united by a spirit of camaraderie and little else. However, the interest of this recording goes beyond simple historical curiosity, as the German pianist’s tireless inquisitiveness prompted her to complement this short album with a series of pieces by the six rather rare composers, who were representative of a generation that wanted to steer the Parisian music scene in new directions, circumnavigating the tutelary figures of Debussy and Ravel. The search for simplicity, which was perhaps the only thing in common among the Six, was hailed for its freshness, not to mention a certain naivety that instilled a sense of frivolity. The music acts almost like a mirror to a carefree France.
It should be noted that Corinna Simon also produced a very beautiful complete set of Witold Lutoslawski's piano work, which is well worth discovering. © François Hudry/Qobuz