The French label Timpani is renowned for throwing up surprises with its
adventurous spirit in exploring less or never before trodden territory.
This CD falls into the latter category with two première recordings by
the French composer Florent Schmitt.
Le Petit Elfe Ferme-l’Oeil began life as a
suite for piano duet (
review),
composed at the same time as Ravel was orchestrating his piano duet
suite
Ma Mère l'Oye. Schmitt’s 1912 suite,
entitled
Les Songes de Hialmar
(Hjalmar’s Dreams), was inspired by Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytale
‘The Dream God’. Here, the Nordic Sandman is an elf who conjures up
seven dreams, one for each day of the week, for the boy Hjalmar. Years
later in 1923, the composer decided to orchestrate these pieces, adding
a prelude, interludes and a mezzo-soprano solo. A new ballet was born,
and was premièred at the Opéra-Comique with Sonia Pavloff and Mona
Paiva in the leading roles. The production was conducted by Albert
Wolff. The orchestral score is lavish, opulent, richly colourful and
reveals the extent to which Schmitt was a consummate orchestrator. He
thus transformed a twenty minute suite into a forty minute symphonic
panorama.
The seven dream sequences are entitled:-
La Fête nationale des souris (The Festival of the Mice)
La Cigogne lasse (The Dyspeptic Stork)
Le Cheval de Ferme-l’Oeil (The Sandman’s Horse)
Le Mariage de la poupée (The Marriage of the Doll)
Le Ronde des lettres boiteuses (The Round of the Obtuse Letters)
La Promenade à travers le tableau (The Promenade across the Picture)
Le Parapluie chinois (The Chinese Umbrella)
Each provides a contrast in atmosphere and colour. The mezzo-soprano
Aline Martin offers a compelling account of Hjalmar’s nanny in ‘La
Promenade à travers le tableau’. The score calls for a panoply of
instruments including harps, contrabassoon, piano and a full range of
percussion with bells, xylophone and celesta. Jacques Mercier and the
Orchestre National de Lorraine deliver a sterling performance of this
orchestral fresco.
The
Introït, Récit et Congé
for cello and orchestra was written for the French cellist André
Navarra (1911-1988) in 1948. The cellist had taken some time out during
the war and had, at the time, both resumed concertising and taken up a
teaching post at the Paris Conservatoire. Schmitt was one of a number
of French composers from whom Navarra commissioned works, others
included Ibert, Honegger and Jolivet. Schmitt’s work, a concerto in all
but name, pandered to the skill and virtuosity of its dedicatee who
premiered it in 1951. Quite why it has taken more than sixty years to
be recorded eludes me. It’s a 13 minute, single movement work but, in
the words of the composer: "The prelude, andante and finale [are] all
three linked so as not to let the performer catch his breath, although
in no way would he ask to breathe – especially if he had the good
fortune to be named André Navarra."
It opens with
a scintillating whirlwind of orchestral dazzle, ushering in a plangent
theme on the cello which is very much rhapsodic in character. Then the
instrument plays a more angular section against a background of
orchestral fireworks. This is followed by a short elegiac and wistful
section which precedes a coda, ending the piece with wit, verve and
panache. The cello has centre-stage throughout and what better advocate
for this delightful music than the French cellist Henri Demarquette who
plays with such fervour, insight and technical command.
Like all of this label’s CDs that I have heard, the recording quality
is impressive, with a natural, spacious and warm acoustic captured. The
orchestral playing is sumptuous and polished, allowing all detail to be
picked out. In the
Introït, Récit et Congé,
the cello is ideally placed and a good balance between the soloist and
players has been achieved. The liner-notes are superbly annotated in
French and English. Hats off to Timpani, they’ve done it again.
Stephen Greenbank
