Program:
André Jolivet (1905-1974)
Incantation … Pour que l’image devienne symbole (1937)
for Solo Alto Flute
Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach
Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute, Wq. 132 (ca. 1747)
I. Poco adagio
II. Allegro
III. Allegro
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Suite Pointillistique op. 135 for Flute and Piano (1919)
Piano: Kamelia Miladinova
I. Im Stile eniner Arabeske
II. Der kranke Mond
III. Scherzo: Diavolina und Innocenz
IV. Im Stile einer Hymne
***
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023)
New Gates (1996) for Flute, Viola (Cello) and Harp
Cello: Beatriz Montes Martín
Harp: Alba Franco Trancon
Jasper de Bock (b. 2003)
Psalm for Solo Flute (text by Paul Celan) (2023)
Alfredo Casella (1883-1947)
Sicilienne et Burlesque op. 23 (1914)
Piano: André Texeira
Program notes:
André Jolivet (1905-1974) – Incantation … Pour que l’image devienne symbole (1937)
for Solo Alto Flute
Jolivet for his part studied the ritual music of non-Western cultures as a part of his desire to express the metaphysical forces that invisibly control our earthly existence. In his works the (a)tonal freedom of the 20th century idiom encounters a timeless primitive music; his compositions are full of connotations, are self-willed and, as he himself says, are made up of ‘organised stillness’. Jolivet’s flute music combines an unpolished primitive intensity with a subdued spirituality. He associates the flute with the breath of life and knows how to compose for it in a phenomenal manner.
https://www.etcetera-records.com/product/andre-jolivet-incantations-eline-van-esch-ensemble/
Nel 1936, con Olivier Messiaen, Jean-Yves Daniel-Lesur e Yves Baudrier, forma il gruppo “Jeune France”, avente per scopo la promozione della musica contemporanea francese. In questo periodo inizia a manifestarsi la sua filosofia compositiva basata sull’idea che la musica deve riappropriarsi del suo significato arcaico, legato a fenomeni esoterici o religiosi, il cui aspetto emozionale è strettamente legato a quello rituale.
https://diesisebemolle.wordpress.com/2019/06/21/andre-jolivet/
Jolivet nous a révélé que toute naissance est musique. Parce qu’il demande à l’enfance de la terre de rendre au son sa pureté, c’est le dépouillement qui lui livre le secret de la profondeur. Par l’incantation, il remonte le cours du temps, revient à l’éternel plutôt qu’il ne va vers lui. La nuit qu’il découvre, qui lui transmet son chant, est celle d’où l’Homme a surgi et non celle dans laquelle tout homme doit entrer.
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Elle (Hilda Jolivet) m’apprend que le compositeurdes Cinq Incantations était unhommedetrente ansqui venaitde voir mourirsamèreparalysée, après avoirinterrogé l’interminable agonie de ses grands yeux bleus, survivant dans un corps inerte. Chacundessons confiésà la flûte desIncantations est unsanglot dominé.L’instrument unique, véhicule dela respiration, est lui-même comme le symboledusouffle que lefils veutrendre à celle quine respireplus
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Cette horreurviscérale des tricheursle dépeintetl’explique. C’est ellequiletint éloignédes commoditésdel’espritdesystème.La tentationdutpourtant être forte,après avoirrenversé touslesobstaclesquis’opposaientà la primauté des sonssur les notes, desacrifier lamélodieaudéveloppement des masses sonores.S’iln’yajamais cédé, c’est parceque la combinaison desrythmes, des intensités et des hauteurs n’a selon lui — comme il l’écrit encoreà proposdesIncantations —«d’autre fin quede faire admettrel’émotion musicale et, chez les auditeurslesplus sensibles (oules plus neufs) uneémotionvoisine des élanspaniquesduPrimitif».Enbref, lebutdistinctifn’est pas dedétruire l’émotion, mais aucontraire del’aviver enla renouvelant.
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Victor Hugo était sans indulgence pour les sceptiques. «Vousprenez—répliquait-ilà l’un d’eux—votrelimitepour la limitede la création; vous appliquez votrebrièvetéà l’univers.»
Le propre d’André Jolivet estd’avoir reculé, dansletemps et dansl’espace, la limite de la création. Son œuvresemble avoirété conçue pournous interdire d’appliquer notrebrièveté à l’univers.
Maurice Schumann de l’Académiefrançaise
Establishing himself at the forefront of musical innovation during the interwar years, Jolivet developed a language combining the austerity of atonality and total chromaticism with elements of modality while forging new processes of rhythmic organisation and expressions of the incantatory that proved decisive influences on both Messiaen and Boulez. The new idiom, emerging even in Jolivet’s early works such as Trois temps (1930) for piano, the String Trio (1930) and String Quartet (first version, 1931), impressed Messiaen to such an extent that, in 1933, he sought to meet his fellow composer and assisted him in organising performances of his music. Discovering a shared interest in spiritual concerns that cemented their friendship, Jolivet and Messiaen joined with Daniel-Lesur to found the avant-garde chamber music society La Spirale in 1935. It was at the inaugural concert of this new music society that the piano work Mana (1935) was premiered (Figure ii.3). The following year, the group was joined by Yves Baudrier with whom they founded La Jeune France (Figure ii.4), a concert society mounting a greater breadth of contemporary music, including orchestral, that Introduction 3 aimed to promote spiritual and human values in an increasingly mechanical and impersonal world. Their first concert on 3 June 1936 (Figures ii.5a and ii.5b) was conducted by Roger Désormière and included the premiere of Jolivet’s Danse incantatoire (1936).
Carl Philipp Emmanuel Bach – Sonata in A minor for Solo Flute, Wq. 132 (ca. 1747)
I Poco adagio
II Allegro
III Allegro
Sigfrid Karg-Elert (1877-1933)
Suite Pointillistique op. 135 (1919) for Flute and Piano
Piano: Kamelia Miladinova
I
Im Stile eniner Arabeske – In the style of an arabesque
II
Der kranke Mond – The Sick Moon
III
Scherzo: Diavolina und Innocenz – Scherzo: Devil and Innocence
IV
Im Stile einer Hymne – In the style of a hymn
In 1915, Karg-Elert enlisted in the 107th German Infantry Regiment, but, being a renowned musician, his role was to play the oboe in the band. The flutist he was sitting next to was Carl Bartuschat, who inspired him for the composition of the seven works for flute he wrote between 1915 and 1919. Suite Pointillistique was the last piece that Karg-Elert composed inspired by him, and includes and synthetises the main features of the previous works too.
“We had the first flutist of Leipzig’s Gewandhaus in the music corps. For years his gorgeous instrument propelled me to work, unwanted but unavoidable.”
(Heitkamp, Andreas. Carl Bartuzat in der “Flötenstadt” Leipzig: Betrachtungen zu Leben, Wirkungskreis und Umfeld. Münster: Hochschule für Musik Detmold, 1998, p. 45)
***
Kaija Saariaho (1952-2023) – New Gates (1996) for Flute, Viola (Cello) and Harp
Cello: Beatriz Montes Martín
Harp: Alba Franco Trancon
Jasper de Bock (b. 2003) – Psalm for Solo Flute (text by Paul Celan) (2023)
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Psalm Niemand knetet uns wieder aus Erde und Lehm, niemand bespricht unseren Staub. Niemand. Gelobt seist du, Niemand. Dir zulieb wollen wir blühn. Dir entgegen. Ein Nichts waren wir, sind wir, werden wir bleiben, blühend: die Nichts-, die Niemandsrose. Mit dem Griffel seelenhell, dem Staubfaden himmelswüst, der Krone rot vom Purpurwort, das wir sangen über, o über dem Dorn. |
Psalm No one kneads us again out of earth and clay no-One summons our dust. No one. Blessed art thou, No One. In thy sight would we bloom. In thy spite . A nothing we were, are now, and ever shall be, blooming: the nothing-, the No-One’s- Rose. With our pistil soul-bright, our stamen heaven-waste, our corona red from the purpleword we sang over, oh over the thorn. Translated by Felstiner, John |
Source: https://www.babelmatrix.org/works/de/Celan,_Paul/Psalm/en/34281-Psalm
Alfredo Casella (1883-1947) – Sicilienne et Burlesque op. 23 (1914)
Piano: André Texeira