Dutilleux: Timbres, Espace, Mouvement; Concerto for violin

On this CD:

1. Violin Concerto "L'Arbre des Songes"
Composed by Henri Dutilleux
Performed by Bamberg Symphony Chorus with Isabelle Van Keulen
Conducted by Marc Soustrot

2. Timbres, espace, mouvement, ou La Nuit étoilée for orchestra
Composed by Henri Dutilleux
Performed by Bamberg Symphony Chorus
Conducted by Marc Soustrot

3. Mystere de l'instant, for orchestra
Composed by Henri Dutilleux
Performed by Bamberg Symphony Chorus
Conducted by Marc Soustrot

Dutilleux: Timbres, Espace, Mouvement; Concerto for violin, Music, Henri Dutilleux, Marc Soustrot, Bamberg Symphony Chorus, Isabelle van Keulen, 20th/21st Century Orchestral Music, Classical, Classical Music, Concerto, Orchestral, Orchestral & Symphonic, Orchestral Music, Violin Concerto

Average customer rating: very impressive Magnificent. A master Dutilleux at his best

Henri Dutilleux: L'Arbre des Songes (Concerto for Violin & Orchestra) / Timbres, Espace, Mouvement / Two Sonnets by Jean Cassou / Prière pour Nous Autres Charnels - BBC Philharmonic / Yan Pascal Tortelier Henri Dutilleux , Jehan Ariste Alain , Yan Pascal Tortelier , Olivier Charlier , Neal Davies , Martyn Hill , and BBC Philharmonic Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Dutilleux | Dutilleux, Henri | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Dutilleux: Cello Concerto, Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto Boulez: ...Explosante-fixe... ASIN: B000000B0B Release Date: 1996-09-24

Tracks:

1. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Librement
2. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Interlude
3. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Vif
4. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Interlude
5. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Lent
6. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Interlude
7. Tree Of Dreams (Concerto For Violin And Orchestra): Large et anime
8. Two Sonnets By Jean Cassou: I Dreamt That I Carried You In My Arms - Extremement calme
9. Two Sonnets By Jean Cassou: There Was Nothing But Torn Trunks - Vehement et agite
10. Timbres, espace, mouvement avec interlude: I (note = 72 environ)
11. Timbres, espace, mouvement avec interlude: Interlude
12. Timbres, espace, mouvement avec interlude: II (note = 56 environ)
13. Prayer For Us Mortals - Tres librement recite - Animato - Plus librement - Sans lenteur

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Customer Reviews:

very impressive.......2006-10-20

Magnificent........2006-10-05

A master.......2005-03-02

Dutilleux at his best.......2000-09-06

The violin concerto is in a four-movement form, with the movements without a break, linked by brief, fragmentary interludes. The composer explains this by saying that he does not want to stop between movements, so as not to lose "music's power to enchant". This phrase is, in many ways, the key to the piece. It is a delicate tracery of instrumental lines, the violin less prominent than many concerti, and with almost a concerto grosso group (containing much percussion, including a delightfully-used cimbalom) mediating between violin and orchestra. The melodies are delightful, and the orchestration sparkles -- it's no wonder that many prominent musicians rate this as the best violin concerto of the last fifty years.

But the second work on the disc is, to my mind, even finer. "Timbre, Espace, Mouvement" takes the apocalyptic radiance of the Van Gogh painting and translates it into music that is much harsher in color than much of Dutilleux, but is utterly compelling. Listening to this work, you can almost see the painting before your eyes.

This performance uses Dutilleux's revised edition of 1991, where the two movements are joined together by a spectacular interlude for twelve solo cellos, and is the best performance I've heard on disc.

The fill-ups are relatively minor works, but nothing Dutilleux has done is anything but worth hearing, and they're well worth having on disc. The first two works, though, are the ones I come back to time and time again.

Average customer rating: Dutilleux - who? ON THE RISE complete? Landmarks of modern French orchestral music Music for a Starry Night

Dutilleux: Complete Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Dutilleux | Dutilleux, Henri | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Baroque (c.1600-1750) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical | Box Sets | Stores | Music Similar Items: Dutilleux: The Works for Piano Dutilleux: Cello Concerto, Lutoslawski: Cello Concerto Edward Rubbra - Complete Symphonies / Hickox Milhaud: The Complete Symphonies (Box Set) Ture Rangström: Complete Symphonies (Box Set) ASIN: B00004YU78 Release Date: 2000-11-28

Tracks:

1. Sym No.1: I. Passacailli: Andante - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
2. Sym No.1: II. Scherzo: Molto Vivace - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
3. Sym No.1: III. Intermezzo: Lento - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
4. Sym No.1: Finale, Con Vars: Largemente - Allegro - Scherzo - Lento - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
5. Sym No.2 'Le Double:' I. Animato, Ma Misterioso - Andrew Orton/Robert Chasey/Janet Fisher/Peter Dixon/Marios Argiros/Paul Dintinger/David Chatwin...
6. Sym No.2 'Le Double:' II. Andantino Sostenuto - Andrew Orton/Robert Chasey/Janet Fisher/Peter Dixon/Marios Argiros/Paul Dintinger/David Chatwin...
7. Sym No.2 'Le Double:' III. Allegro Fuocoso - Calmato - Andrew Orton/Robert Chasey/Janet Fisher/Peter Dixon/Marios Argiros/Paul Dintinger/David Chatwin...

Tracks:

1. L'Arbre Des Songs: I. Librement - - Oliver Charlier
2. L'Arbre Des Songs: Interlude - - Oliver Charlier
3. L'Arbre Des Songs: II. Vif - - Oliver Charlier
4. L'Arbre Des Songs: Interlude - - Oliver Charlier
5. L'Arbre Des Songs: III. Lent - - Oliver Charlier
6. L'Arbre Des Songs: Interlude - - Oliver Charlier
7. L'Arbre Des Songs: IV. Large Et Anime - Oliver Charlier
8. Two Sonnets, 'I Dreamt That I Carried You In My Arms:' Extremement Calme - Neal Davies
9. Two Sonnets, 'There Was Nothing But Torn Trunks:' Vehemet Et Agite - Neal Davies
10. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement Avec Interlude: I (1/4nt = 72 Environ) - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
11. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement Avec Interlude: Interlude - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
12. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement Avec Interlude: II (1/8nt = 56 Environ) - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
13. Prayer For Us Mortals: Tres Librement Recite - Animato - Plus Librement - Sans Lenteur - Neal Davies/Martyn Hill

Tracks:

1. Metaboles: I. Incantatoire - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
2. Metaboles: II. Lineaire - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
3. Metaboles: III. Obsessionnel - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
4. Metaboles: IV. Torpide - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
5. Metaboles: V. Flamboyant - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
6. Tout Un Monde Lointain: I. Enigme - - Boris Pergamenschikow
7. Tout Un Monde Lointain: II. Regard - - Boris Pergamenschikow
8. Tout Un Monde Lointain: III. Houles - - Boris Pergamenschikow
9. Tout Un Monde Lointain: IV. Miroirs - - Boris Pergamenschikow
10. Tout Un Monde Lointain: V. Hymne - Boris Pergamenschikow
11. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): I. Appels - - Boris Pergamenschikow
12. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): II. Echos - - Boris Pergamenschikow
13. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): III. Prismes - - Boris Pergamenschikow
14. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): IV. Espaces Lointains - - Boris Pergamenschikow
15. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): V. Litanies - - Boris Pergamenschikow
16. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): VI. Choral - - Boris Pergamenschikow
17. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): VII. Rumeurs - - Boris Pergamenschikow
18. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): VIII. Soliloques - - Boris Pergamenschikow
19. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): IX. Metamorphoses (Sur Le Nom Sacher) - - Boris Pergamenschikow
20. Mystere De L'instant (Grande Formation): X. Embrasement - Boris Pergamenschikow

Tracks:

1. The Shadows Of Time: I. Hours - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
2. The Shadows Of Time: II. Evil Ariel - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
3. The Shadows Of Time: III. Memory of Shadows - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
4. The Shadows Of Time: Interlude - - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
5. The Shadows Of Time: IV. Waves Of Light - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier
6. The Shadows Of Time: V. Blue Dominant? - BBC Phil/Yan Pascal Tortelier

Customer Reviews:

Dutilleux - who?.......2005-08-20

ON THE RISE.......2005-05-29

complete?.......2004-03-21

. Ok. There are dancers on stage, but it is a full orchestra that plays it, and it has yet to see the light of day completely recorded anywhere.
Shame on Chandos for overlooking this.

Landmarks of modern French orchestral music.......2004-01-02

Henri Dutilleux has increasingly been regarded as one of the finest of living composers, and as his conservative-modernist style--derived from Debussy and Ravel, though more chromatic and less tonally-centered than either--has become less unfashionable his music has received an increasing number of recordings. Amongst the finest of these have been Yan-Pascal Tortelier's readings for Chandos, and this 4-CD boxed set contains Tortelier's three individual discs, plus a 22-minute bonus disc of a live performance (Tortelier again) of the composer's 1997 work The Shadows of Time. When released, this collection was a complete recording of all Dutilleux's acknowledged orchestral works: this is no longer true, as Dutilleux is still writing, although his post-Shadows work is yet to be recorded. (Hopefully Hans Graf's ongoing budget-price Arte Nova series of Dutilleux recordings will bring matters up to date.)

I have already reviewed the individual discs included on this set, so I will only describe the works briefly, but taken as a whole, they undoubtably rank as amongst the most important orchestral music of the post-war period. Chronologically speaking, they begin with the two symphonies. The first of these, completed in 1951, begins with a slow, mysterious passacaglia, follows it with an overly virtuosic scherzo, a deeply-felt nocturnal slow movement and a flamboyand finale. It is a considerable achievement, though it is some way from Dutilleux's fully mature style, unlike the Second Symphony, completed eight years later. This work is subtitled 'Le Double', as a concertino-like group of 12 players forms a counter-orchestra to the main band--though its function is not of a concerto grosso nature but merely to allow a much greater variety of colours and timbres. The first movement begins mysteriously, building to a dramatic climax. The slow movement (in which the counter-orchestra is particularly prominent) contains a wonderful range of musical colours, while the finale begins vigorously but lapses half-way through into a slow epilogue.

The 1964 work Métaboles is effectively a brief concerto for orchestra in five movements. The first four movements each showcase a different section of the orchestra--alternating fast and slow movements--and in the finale the whole orchestra comes together for a vigorous conclusion. Tout un monde lointain, a 1970 cello concerto based on the poetry of Charles Baudelaire, is a deliriously nocturnal work in five movements that combines delightful solo writing with some extraordinary orchestration, before fading out ambiguously. Perhaps the finest of Dutilleux's orchestral works is Timbres, espace, mouvement, a darkly ecstatic diptych inspired by Van Gogh's painting 'Starry Night'. Two powerfully visionary panels are separated by a forceful interlude for the orchestral cellos alone.

L'Arbre des songes, completed in 1985, is a dreamlike violin concerto in four movements that play without a break. Lyrical and fantastic in equal measure, it has often been described as one of the finest violin concerti of the 20th century, and I wouldn't dispute that rating. Mystère de l'instant is a 1989 work, a sequence of ten atmospheric 'snapshots' for strings and solo cimbalom. The first is an extraordinary evocation of a mass of flying birds; while the other nine are good, they don't quite live up to the first. Finally, The Shadows of Time is perhaps the only authentically angry work in Dutilleux's output. A meditation questioning the validity of music in a world capable of the Holocaust, it begins ambivalently with an evocation of ticking clocks against tense orchestral writing. A solo treble sings 'Why me? Why the star?' before the music builds to an angry climax. After an interlude and a second, equally angry climax, the finale returns to the ambivalent mood of the opening, and the work ends with return of the ticking clocks.

The performances on this set range from good to excellent, but whether the set will be of interest probably depends on whether one owns any of the individual discs. For those who do, or who only need a recording of The Shadows of Time, Hans Graf's first Arte Nova disc may prove more attractive, but those wanting the complete available works in one easy package will find this compilation well-nigh unbeatable.

Music for a Starry Night.......2003-02-26

The reason to buy this boxed set is not to acquire new, definitive interpretations of much represented music; it is to become acquainted with a composer who has had no prior integral recording. That is justification enough. The music of Henri Dutilleux (born 1916) manages to be unmistakably "modern" without being the slightest bit doctrinaire or off-putting: Dutilleux's roots go down deeply into the impressionist soil of Claude Debussy, although unlike Debussy, Dutilleux shows an interest in polyphonic complexity rather than in chord-based harmonic color as such. In addition, Dutilleux's structures usually correspond to what one can call "the symphonic" in a way that Debussy rarely essayed: and indeed his first two orchestral scores were symphonies (1951 and 1959). Like many composers in the aftermath of World War Two who refused to embrace the procedures of the "Second Viennese School," Dutilleux found himself somewhat marginalized. While Dutilleux received performances and commissions and was recorded over the years, he never enjoyed the cachet of, say, Pierre Boulez. In an essay on "The Symphony in France," published in "Paths to Modern Music" (1971), the astute Laurence Davies had to plead for Dutilleux, "a much underestimated composer outside his own country" whose "brilliantly clear textures" make his Second Symphony (subtitled "The Double") "an astounding achievement." On record, Rostropovich played the Cello Concerto and Stern his Violin Concerto; other works have been recorded here and there. The neglect is largely made up for in Yan Pascal Tortelier's comprehensive four-disc survey for Chandos, illustrated appropriately on the jewel-box and on the pamphlet by van Gogh's "Starry Night." On CD 1, Tortelier pairs the two symphonies. Davies valued the Second over the First Symphony, although he admitted the virtues of the latter, particularly its opening Passacaglia. The musical language of the First Symphony is close (by way of a known reference) to Frank Martin's: intensely chromatic without abandoning tonality. (Dutilleux's Passacaglia resembles Martin's free-standing endeavor of the same name in its full-orchestra version, available on a Chandos CD under Matthias Bamert). The two inner movements are a colorful Scherzo and a darkly colored slow movement. The Finale, like the First Movement, is a theme with variations - virtually a second passacaglia, but wider ranging in its moods than the First Movement. The Second Symphony pits a small orchestra of about ten instruments, including harpsichord and celesta, against the full orchestra, hence the appellation of "The Double." I imagine that this is a difficult score to record, as the spatial element resists transcribed representation. That said, this three-movement work is quite as fascinating and beautiful as its precursor. On CD 2, Tortelier gives us Dutilleux's Violin Concerto, "L'arbre des songes" ("The Tree of Dreams" [1985]), in a sequence of uninterrupted movements proper and interludes. This is Dutilleux the mystic, sharing certain penchants with Olivier Messiaen, although never sounding brash or vulgar, as Messiaen sometimes does. "The Tree of Dreams" is music for late-night listening. The "Two Sonnets by Jean Cassou" for baritone and orchestra, dating from the 1940s, show the composer working in a tradition of French orchestral song going back to Hector Berlioz and his "Nuits d'été." The score called "Timbres, espace, et mouvement avec interlude" (1978) takes its inspiration from van Gogh's "Starry Night." It depicts the awe of stellar delirium effectively - less wildly than Messiaen, be it said - yet with some strange and novel sounds. "Métaboles" (1964), on CD 3, again shows some kinship with Martin (think of "The Four Elements") and gives the impression of a symphony by another name. The Cello Concerto, entitled "Tout un monde lointain" (difficult convincingly to translate into English: "A Whole World Far Away"), is another essay in religious yearning and phantasmagoria. Like Berlioz, Dutilleux has a gift for melody: the concerto-format lets him exploit his talent, allotting the "singing role" to the solo instrument and supporting the solo line in a delicate web of hallucinatory accompaniment. The descriptive title comes from one of the Baudelaire poems that the concerto purports to "interpret." This is another link to Berlioz, who made one of the earliest settings of Baudelaire. "Delicacy" and "exquisiteness" are adjective that come to mind insistently as one listens to Dutilleux's music. One thinks of them as French traits par excellence. They appear again in "Mystère de l'instant," a quasi-concerto for cimbalom and strings - by no means so odd as it might seem. On CD 4, Tortelier gives us "The Shadows of Time" (1995), for voice and orchestra, which shows Dutilleux refining his mode of expression even further toward the seamless and translucent. With one minor quibble, I recommend this boxed set. The quibble is the shortness of the fourth disc. Chandos could easily have added a performance of Dutilleux's string quartet, "Ainsi la nuit," which would have turned a stinting measure into a fair one. Discs 1 - 3 are well filled.

Average customer rating:

Henri Dutilleux: L'arbe des songes (Concerto for Violin & Orchestra) / Timbres, Espace, Mouvement ou "La nuit étoilée" / Mystère de l'instant, for 24 strings, cimbalom & percussion - Isabelle van Keulen / Bamberger Symphoniker / Marc Soustrot Henri Dutilleux , Marc Soustrot , Isabelle van Keulen , Matthias Würsch , and Bamberger Symphoniker Manufacturer: Koch Schwann (Germ.) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Dutilleux | Dutilleux, Henri | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music | Baroque | Classical | General | Modern & 20th Century | Romantic | Sinfonia | Sinfonia Concertante Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000009QAB Release Date: 1998-08-18

Tracks:

1. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: I Librement
2. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Interlude
3. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: II Vif
4. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Interlude 2
5. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: III Lent
6. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: Interlude 3
7. Larbre ses songes - Concerto For Violin And Orchestra: IV Large et anime
8. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement ou ..La nuit etoilee'': I Nebuleuse
9. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement ou ..La nuit etoilee'': Interlude
10. Timbres, Espace, Mouvement ou ..La nuit etoilee'': II Constellations
11. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: I Appels
12. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: II Echos
13. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: III Prismes
14. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: IV Espaces Lointains
15. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: V Litanies
16. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: VI Choral
17. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: VII Rumeurs
18. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: VIII Soliloques
19. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: IX Metamorphoses (sur le nom SACHER)
20. Mystere de L'instant - For 24 Strings, Cymbal And Percussion: X Embarasement

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