Notes and Editorial Reviews
Jean Barraqué remains an elusive figure in post-war French music. His compositional career spanned 1950, when he began his brilliant Piano Sonata, to 1968 when he brought his second instrumental work, the concerto for two instruments and six trios, to completion. In between come a single work for tape and four enormous cycles for voice and chamber ensemble. His idiom is serial and superficially resembles Boulez although there is a romantic desperation quite unlike anyone else. For Barraqué, serialism offered the only viable choice after what he perceived as the perversions of Romanticism during the Second World War. The two instrumental works are among the most challenging and beautiful of their period. The vocal works, three of them
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centered around texts derived from Broch's epic novel, 'The Death of Virgil,' surround the lyric, haunted voice with instrumental sounds that continually threaten to erupt and engulf the protagonist. The instrumental work is beyond praise. The vocal performances bring together singers with a vocal beauty not expected in this repertoire. Their ability to phrase and sing on the word regardless of the difficulty of the vocal line give the listener the best way into this difficult but fascinating music. Read less
Works on This Recording
1.
Concerto for Clarinet, Vibraphone and 18 Instruments by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Ernesto Molinari (Clarinet),
Charlie Fischer (Percussion)
Conductor:
Sylvain Cambreling
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Klangforum Wien
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1968; France
Date of Recording: 02/1995
Venue: Mozart Hall, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 33 Minutes 35 Secs.
2.
Le temps restitué by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Rosemary Hardy (Mezzo Soprano)
Conductor:
Sylvain Cambreling
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Klangforum Wien,
Nova Ensemble
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1957/1968; France
Date of Recording: 09/1995
Venue: Mozart Hall, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 39 Minutes 25 Secs.
Language: French
3.
Au delà du hasard by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Deborah Miles-Johnson (Alto),
Christina Ascher (Voice),
Bernhard Zachhuber (Clarinet),
Florian Müller (Piano),
Julie Moffat (Voice)
Conductor:
Jürg Wyttenbach
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Klangforum Wien
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1958-1959; France
Date of Recording: 02/1995
Venue: Mozart Hall, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 41 Minutes 42 Secs.
Language: French
4.
Chant après chant by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Claudia Barainsky (Voice)
Conductor:
Peter Rundel
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Klangforum Wien
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1966; France
Date of Recording: 01/16/1996
Venue: Zögernitz Casino, Vienna, Austria
Length: 22 Minutes 49 Secs.
Language: French
5.
Etude by Jean Barraqué
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1952-1953; France
Date of Recording: 1952-53
Venue: Ina-GRM Studios
Length: 5 Minutes 5 Secs.
6.
Séquence by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Rosemary Hardy (Voice)
Conductor:
Jürg Wyttenbach
Orchestra/Ensemble:
Klangforum Wien
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950-1955; France
Date of Recording: 01/14/1996
Venue: Zögernitz Casino, Vienna, Austria
Length: 19 Minutes 53 Secs.
Language: French
7.
Sonata for Piano by Jean Barraqué
Performer:
Stefan Litwin (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1950-1952; France
Date of Recording: 10/1997
Venue: West German Radio, Cologne, Germany
Length: 54 Minutes 23 Secs.
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