Some years ago, actually
during the LP era, Aldo Ciccolini recorded
the complete piano works of Déodat
de Séverac. This double-LP set
(EMI) has been recently re-issued in
CD format and, to the best of my knowledge,
is still available.
Izumi Tateno, who has
recorded much Finnish music, has also
recorded some of Séverac’s mature
piano works for Finlandia. These are
now available at bargain price in Warner’s
ongoing APEX series. Incidentally, I
do not know whether Tateno recorded
the complete piano works of de Séverac.
If so, I hope that these recordings
may soon be re-issued; if not so, I
hope that he might be persuaded to record
them.
Deliberately or not,
the pieces are presented here in chronological
order, starting with the large-scale
cycle Le Chant de la terre
completed in 1900. Séverac’s
piano output includes several piano
cycles such as En Languedoc
and Cerdana, which are
rather suites of impressionistic pieces
mostly inspired by his home region,
Languedoc, in Southern France where
he lived for most of his life. It should
come as no surprise that the music is
generally redolent of Debussy, although
some of the early works may still be
slightly indebted to Franck, but never
slavishly so. From quite early on, Déodat
de Séverac found his own sound
world which he kept refining throughout
his composing career. His stylistic
progress may be fully appreciated when
comparing the relatively early Le
Chant de la terre with, say,
En Languedoc written a
mere three years later but displaying
some considerable technical advance.
En Languedoc is clearly
from the same pen but the music has
a much greater freedom and tonal refinement.
Les Naïades et le faune indiscret
and Baigneuses au soleil
(one of his most popular works) are
shorter, colourful pieces of great charm,
the former being somewhat redolent of
Ravel’s Jeux d’eau.
The four pieces recorded
here are superb examples of de Séverac’s
piano music: colourful, harmonically
subtle, clear and breathing some healthy
joie de vivre reflected in the
use of folk-inflected dance rhythms
as well as exulting in sunshine or meditating
at sunset. His music sings and shines
as well.
I have known and loved
these pieces for many long years through
Ciccolini’s set found in a second-hand
shop; but I have much enjoyed Tateno’s
readings that certainly do not pale
when compared to Ciccolini’s. If you
respond to this sort of music, written
in the early 20th century,
you will have no difficulty whatsoever
in coming to terms with de Séverac’s
marvellous but still much underrated
music. If you have the Ciccolini set
(either the original LP set or the CD
re-issue), you may safely stick to it;
but the present release, especially
at bargain price, is a most commendable
introduction. Either way, though, Déodat
de Séverac’s music is simply
too good to be ignored.
Hubert Culot
Izumi Tateno (piano) 