Les six: Merci et Adieu, Claude
Camille Saint-Saëns (1835-1921)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in E flat, Op. 167 (1921)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Première Rhapsodie for Clarinet and Piano L. 116 (1909-10)
Arthur Honegger (1892-1955)
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano (1920)
Darius Milhaud (1892-1974)
Sonatina for Clarinet and Piano Op. 100 (1927)
Francis Poulenc (1899-1953)
Sonata for Clarinet and Piano in B flat FP. 184 (1962)
Jean Françaix (1912-1997)
Tema con Variazioni for Clarinet and Piano (1998)
Sergio Pires (clarinet)
Kosuke Akimoto (piano)
rec. 2021, Schloss Ettersburg, Weimar, Germany
AVI-MUSIC 8553038 [62]
The title of this disc is confusing, so let’s get that sorted out first. Les Six were the group of six mainly French composers who briefly banded together in the years after the first World War, in reaction against idioms popular before the war, such as Wagnerianism and impressionism. Their members were Darius Milhaud, Germaine Tailleferre, Louis Durey, Georges Auric, Arthur Honegger and Francis Poulenc. Of these, three, Honegger, Milhaud and Poulenc are represented here. Two of the others, Saint-Saëns and Debussy, despite being very different, both represent the older generation against whom Les Six were reacting, while the last, Françaix, though much younger than Les Six and not a member of the group, nevertheless absorbed their aesthetic and never moved away from it, as the others did. Merci et Adieu, Claude (thank you and goodbye) suggests that the disc is a kind of both homage and farewell to Claude Debussy, though none of the works here either anticipate his work or are influenced by it. Perhaps it is better to consider the disc simply as a collection of twentieth century French works for clarinet and piano.
Saint-Saëns’ sonata is one of his last works, one of three he completed, out of six projected, for woodwind instruments with piano. It is in four movements, in an idiom the booklet rightly compares to Schumann and Brahms, the obvious models in writing for clarinet and piano. The first movement is gentle and mellifluous, the second witty and bubbly, the third explores the lower range of both instruments and shows off Pires’ rich, deep tone, and the finale is playful, with a reminiscence of the first movement.
Debussy’s Rhapsodie (I think we might drop the Première, since there was never to be a Deuxième) was written to commission as a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire. He liked it enough to orchestrate it the following year. It certainly puts the clarinet through its paces, testing long sustained notes, intonation in the highest register, rapid flurries up and down the instrument and leaps. It is an attractive enough piece, though not first rate Debussy.
Honegger’s and Milhaud’s Sonatinas are each in three short movements, respectively fast, slow and fast. Honegger’s is the more lyrical, though with a rather angular slow movement (had he been listening to the Second Viennese School?) and a sparky finale. Milhaud’s sonatina is rather fiercer – the first and last movements are both marked Très rude, which must encourage the player – and the booklet notes the influence of Stravinsky.
Poulenc’s sonata, like that of Saint-Saëns, was one of his last works, and, along with it, is the most considerable work here. It is also in three movements, the first an Allegro tristamente, the second a melancholy and eloquent Romanza, and the finale is more characteristic of what we expect of Poulenc: vivacious and high-spirited with a contrasting lyrical second theme.
The final work by Françaix is light and cheery: a theme with six variations, all very short. It is more in the spirit of Les Six, at least of their earlier works, than the immediately preceding Poulenc sonata. It makes for a frivolous conclusion.
All these are fluently and elegantly despatched by Pires, with the support of Akimoto at the piano. Pires plays a Selmer Recital clarinet. This has a thicker body and a larger bore than most clarinets, and is consequently more tiring to play. The result is a rich and creamy sound, which I prefer to the perky brightness favoured by some clarinettists. The sound is good and the booklet helpful. This is a rewarding recital.
Stephen Barber
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