Germaine TAILLEFERRE
(1892-1983)
Images
Chamber Ensemble conducted by Nicole A. Paiement
Quatuor
Porter String Quartet
Forlane
Leta Miller (flute) and Irene Herrmann (Piano)
Chansons Populaires Françaises
Patrice Maginnis (soprano) with Chamber Ensemble conducted by Nicole A.
Paiement
Sonata for Harp
Jennifer Cass (harp)
Deux Valses
Irene Herrmann and Michael McGuishin
(pianos)
Galliarde
Karen Baccaro (trumpet) and Michael McGuishin (piano)
HELICON HE 1008
[51:57]
Amazon US
This is a very welcome album of music by the only woman composer of the French
group of 20th century composers known as Les Six (the others
were: Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey, Georges Auric, Arthur Honegger, and Francis
Poulenc). This recording was made in 1992 at the Performing Arts Concert
Hall at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
The concert opens with the enchanting six-minute piece
Images for flute, clarinet, celeste, piano and string quartet
written in 1918. This is a lovely impressionistic piece enriched by exotic
oriental figures exploiting polyharmony, polytonality and clusters. It has
the all delicacy of Chinese art on silk. Quatuor for two violins,
viola and cello is another charming work cast in three short movements, dancing
in character. In it, classical forms are broken occasionally by discretely
placed harmonic frictions. Thus the first movement's warmth and coyness is
ruffled slightly, the middle movement's nostalgia remains untouched while
the harsher world of the finale erupts into a tarantella.
The short Forlane has classical refinement with the piano shaping
gliding, lilting figures before the piece's slight dissonances transport
it up to an intense climax. Another very charming work is Tailleferre's
Sonata for Harp (1957) that demonstrates her considerable skill and
sensitivity in writing for this instrument. It is very reminiscent of Domenico
Scarlatti especially in the guitar effects of the slow, melancholy tango
in the second movement. A lovely work this, and worth the price of the CD
alone for this beguiling performance by Jennifer Cass. The Two Waltzes
for two pianos were composed in 1962. The first, rather sad, slow waltz,
has a simple, rather sparse melodic line, while the second is much more
sparkling. Galliarde for trumpet and piano (1972) is Poulenc-like
in its treatment and insouciance.
The concert also includes Tailleferre's Chansons Populaires
Françaises (1952-55) - five songs for soprano and chamber
ensemble. They are sung by Patrice Maginnis who has a very pleasing, light
lyric soprano voice, ideal for these folkloric songs. 'La Pernette se lève'
(The Maiden Awakes) is a spinning song with the consequent repetitive rhythms
which are abandoned for darker more tragic material when it is disclosed
that the poor girl is grieving for her lover who has been sentenced to death.
'Mon Père toujours me crie' (My father always told me) is a comic
song about how a young girl detests her elderly husband's snoring and pinching.
She reckons he should be "thrown down a well". 'Jean de la Réole'
seems to have a slovenly wife who the singer wants to take in hand and wash
and comb her hair. It has much bucolic charm but so, too, does 'L'autre jour
en m'y promenant' (The other day, while strolling). This song is rather more
racy with much double entendre. Finally, 'En revenant de Nantes' (Returning
from Nantes) is a jolly inconsequential little number about daffodils bouncing
about in the singers pocket while she dances.
A very unusual concert but highly recommended
Ian Lace
