Werke von Debussy, Honegger, Milhaud, Poulenc und Schmitt
Ralph Manno, Klarinette
Alfredo Perl, Klavier
The cultural history of the clarinet is closely associated
with 19th century French musical tradition. The
school of clarinet playing at the Paris Conservatory
and its lively exchange with French instrument
builders led to a specific style that was continually
developed by contemporary composers. Debussy was
the lode star; his retinue contained such composers
as Florent Schmitt, born in 1870. But it was first the
Group of Six, which included Honegger, Milhaud
and Poulenc, that turned away from Impressionism
and lead French music into the modern age with
geometric forms, rhythmic pithiness and polytonally
organized harmonies. This exciting phase of music
history is heard in all its glory on this CD with Ralph
Manno and Alfredo Perl.
French Clarinet Rhapsody
Works for Clarinet and Piano
The history of the clarinet is closely
bound with French nineteenth century
musical tradition. The technical innovation
of the key system made by
the Parisian clarinettist Hyacinthe
Klosé and instrument maker Louis
Buffet (the so-called Boehm system)
as well as the clarinet schools promoted
by the Paris Conservatoire (Jean
Xavier Lefèvre 1802, Klosé 1843) both
contributed to the establishment of a
French national style dictated by the
hegemony of the capital city. The success
of the clarinet in the history of
music can be put down to its timbre,
comparable to the human voice: the
aesthetic appeal of the instrument is
enhanced by a beautiful sound and
cantabile expression. Especially attractive
is the cantilene breadth of the
middle range (for instance in the
B-
flat clarinet) and the expanse of colour
at the clarinettist’s disposal provided
by dynamic and tonal possibilities,
which made the instrument most
attractive for the Impressionist movement.
Debussy composed the Rhapsody
for B-flat Clarinet and Piano (which
he later rewrote for orchestra) as an
examination piece for the Paris Conservatoire
– he was himself a member
of the examination board for wind
players. The Petit Pièce was originally
a competition piece for sight-reading.
Both compositions were dedicated to
and premiered by the French clarinettist
Paul Mimart. Florent Schmitt’s
style is related to Debussy’s impressionism,
a link which can clearly be
seen in the romantic and aesthetic exaggeration
of landscape scenes. The
Andantino op. 30 (composed in 1906) is
an arrangement of a vocalise originally
composed for soprano voice. The
Swiss composer Arthur Honegger – a
graduate of the Paris Conservatoire
just as Francis Poulenc and Darius
Milhaud – wrote in an essay on the developments
in music after Debussy:
“The appearance of Claude Debussy is
an event which we can appreciate: for
through him the French school has
risen to the head of the global musical
movement […] but it is obvious that in
the year 1919 one must consciously
move on from the great figure of Debussy
[…] we have been harshly criticised,
accused of presumptuousness,
ignorance and lack of respect whilst
we were merely reacting out of instinctive
and righteous defence.” The
musical jeunesse which went down in
French history as the bridge to modernism
is known as “Les Six” (Honegger,
Poulenc, Milhaud, Auric, Durey
and Tailleferre). The importance of
the group lies in its departure from
convention, which in spite of Debussy’s
achievements were still as limpets
on French music. The clarinet
writings of the “Six” are diametrically
opposed to Debussy’s impressionist
aestheticism. Through his sound concentration
and monumental structures
Arthur Honegger diverges slightly
from the group, which advocated
simplicity and clarity. In contrast
Milhaud’s
Sonatine op. 100 mirrors the
juvenile style of the “Six” in its geometric,
jerky rhythms and almost
cubist
abstract harmonies based –
characteristically – on polytonality.
The Clarinet Sonata by Francis Poulenc
was composed as late as 1962, the
year before his death, as part of a trio
of compositions for wind instruments.
As in Debussy’s final works, Poulenc
too emphasizes in the creation of
beautiful sound the technical possibilities
of the instrument in this late
work.
Therese Muxeneder
Translation: Sarah Wilson