As an old man Charles Koechlin wrote: "One of the most dreadful diseases
of our day is the desire to be modern", but he was no starchy conservative.
Far from it, in fact - Koechlin counted among his friends virtually
all the leading French musicians of his day, old and young, adventurous
and less so, and acknowledged and even assimilated all the trends.
He was a big fan of the burgeoning Hollywood film industry - witness
the many works or movements named after popular actresses - and became
president of the Popular Music Federation in France.
He also wrote a fair bit for Adolphe Sax's recently-invented instrument,
praising it in his academic writing as "a timbre that no other can
replace". All such solo works in his corpus are brought together on
this new bargain-priced triple CD from Brilliant Classics, one of
a wave of recent releases featuring this most underrated of French
composers' music.
In fact, although this set has much to recommend it musically, it
is not quite the bargain it might have been. For one thing, there
is a fair amount of 'recycling', from the piano and chamber orchestra
versions of the two saxophone sonatinas to the Sept Pièces,
originally intended for horn. More importantly, though, the array
of recording dates and venues has thrown up some inconsistencies in
sound quality. There is actually quite severe distortion towards the
end of the Wind Septet, where the microphones just cannot cope with
a combination of volume and high pitches. There is similar loss at
the end of op.165bis, and a small amount in the flute during Epitaphe.
Timpani's engineers, on their virtually simultaneous recording of
the Septet (1C1193), show Brilliant how it should be done.
On the whole, however, considering that this release can be found
on the internet, by the alert shopper, for around the same price as
a single Naxos disc, these audio issues, once noted, may be worth
disregarding for access to Koechlin's marvellous music, certainly
until new recordings come along. After all, the aforementioned distortion
only affects a few minutes' worth of music, and sound quality of the
first two CDs is uniformly impressive. Capturing well both saxophone
and piano is no simple task.
In any case, it is hard to imagine anyone not liking Koechlin's music,
whether for saxophone or any other instruments: all of the late-period
pieces heard here are immensely melodic and idiomatic, uncomplicated
on the surface yet expressive of a considered intelligence that writes
for listeners and performers as well as self. In this way he can be
compared with Saint-Saëns, to whom he came to bear a physical
likeness in later years - though with a much more impressive beard.
There are many highlights, such as the 24 Duos, which combine SATB
instruments in various pairings. These should be required study for
all saxophonists, yet they are far superior to mere didactics. Ditto
the 15 Etudes, which are a collection of beautiful cameos rather than
studies in the more academic sense. The 7 Pieces are even more strikingly
memorable, like Koechlin's most popular Epitaphe: nostalgic, sometimes
haunting works that are however "full of the visionary hope that leads
to optimism, energy and joy as vital antidotes to the problems of
everyday life", as annotator Robert Orledge aptly sums up the composer's
music. It is worth noting that, unlike some, nowhere in any of these
works does Koechlin make use of the platitudes and clichés
of the jazz instrument.
As the CD cover implies, star of the show on these three discs is
saxophonist David Brutti, who appears as soloist, as one half of the
Duo Disecheis, a quarter of the Atem Saxophone Quartet and even in
the ensemble of the Orchestra Città Aperta. His tonal colourings
are lustrous and luxurious, his phrasing natural and gratifying. Running
a close second is Filippo Farinelli, pianist or conductor on numerous
tracks. The booklet notes are in English only, but informative and
well written, supplemented by detailed biographies of all performers.
Of Koechlin - whose Alsace-originating name is pronounced as if spelt
Kéclin (rhyming with French 'né' and nasal 'vin') -
British critic Wilfrid Mellers wrote that he counts "among the very
select number of contemporary composers who really matter". For 1942
this was a particularly prescient remark, and it is high time he was
allowed to take his rightful place in the pantheon alongside Fauré,
Debussy, Ravel and Saint-Saëns.
Byzantion
Collected reviews and contact at artmusicreviews.co.uk
Recording details
Piano e Forte, Perugia, Italy, 6 May 2011 (Etudes)
22 April 2012 (Sonatinas - piano versions)
1 July 2012 (Pièces)
23 September 2012 (Monodies)
Sala Moriconi, Foligno, Perugia, 1 November 2011 (Duos)
23-27 February 2012 (Septets, Sonatinas - chamber)
Riff Raff Jazz Studio, Rome, 1 October 2012 (Epitaphe)
Gubbio, Perugia (Prelude)
