Complete Works for Saxophone
Sonatina for saxophone & piano, op.194 no.1 (1942) [11:00]
Sonatina for saxophone & piano, op.194b no.2 (1943) [10:16]
Monodie no.9, for alto saxophone (from: 12 Monodies, op.213) (1947) [1:54]
Le Repos de Tityre, for soprano saxophone (from: 11 Monodies for wind instruments, op.216) (1947) [3:28]
24 Duos for two saxophones, op.186 (1946) [37:34]
15 Etudes, for alto saxophone and piano, op.188 (1943) [40:58]
7 Pièces, for tenor saxophone & piano (1942) [24:22]
Epitaphe de Jean Harlow, for flute, alto saxophone & piano, op.164 (1937) [3:45]
Wind Septet, op.165 (1937) [15:21]
Wind Septet, op.165bis (1937) [8:03]
Prelude no.5 for wind septet (from: op.209 (1946-47)) [1:16]
Sonatine, for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra, op.194 no.1 (1942) [11:58]
Sonatine, for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra, op.194b no.2 (1943) [11:19]
David Brutti (alto/soprano saxophone) (monodie, Repos, septets, prelude, sonatines)
Mario Caroli (flute) (Epitaphe)
Duo Disecheis (David Brutti, soprano/alto saxophone; Filippo Farinelli, piano) (sonatinas, etudes, pièces, epitaphe)
Atem Saxophone Quartet (David Brutti, soprano/alto/tenor/baritone; Davide Bartelucci, alto/tenor; Francesco Ciocca, baritone; Massimo Valentini, baritone) (24 Duos)
Orchestra Città Aperta (winds/strings)/Filippo Farinelli (septets, prelude, sonatines)
rec. 2011/12 (see end of review for details).
BRILLIANT CLASSICS 9266 [3 CDs: 64:28 + 65:31 + 51:50]
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
Hard to imagine anyone not liking Koechlin … immensely melodic and
idiomatic, uncomplicated on the surface yet expressive of a considered
intelligence.
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)
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