Chabrier: Suite Pastorale

It used to be fashionable to include the music of Lalo in concert in the mid-20th century. At the start of the 21st century, however, his works has fallen completely into neglect, in France as much as elsewhere. This is a cruel injustice for music full of sensuality and very highly inspired, quality orchestration. This unique 2CD collection brings together all of Ansermet's Lalo recordings for Decca, including a fiery account of the Symphonie espagnole with Ruggiero Ricci, as well as the much-praised stereo Chabrier recordings which first appeared on a delightful Decca CD in its 'Classic Sound' series. The Lalo recordings were made at various times during the composer's long tenure with the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, starting in March 1959 with the Symphonie espagnole and ending with the little Scherzo in September 1968, during his last Decca session with his Swiss orchestra.

And 'classic sound' is as much an epithet for the Chabrier recordings as they are for the Lalo. While so many current Chabrier recordings are notable for their elan and elegance, Ansermet emphasises the works' earthy, comic side with a just a hint of oafishness - all reflecting the conductor's brotherly affection for his dear Chabrier, after whom he named his country house 'Le Chabriere'. The collection also includes the rare 'Habanera'. Ansermet's 1955 recording of this piece was made in both mono and stereo, and the stereo version is published for the very first time as part of this anthology.

This disc of popular works by Emmanuel Chabrier marks the beginning of a new series of French repertoire, performed by the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under its newly appointed Artistic Director, Neeme Järvi.

After three attempts at comic opera, Chabrier finally achieved success in 1877 with L’Étoile, the plotline of which is set in the court of the somewhat emotionally unstable King Ouf. A couple of years previously, Chabrier had written a short Lamento for orchestra, a work which would not perhaps be considered revolutionary by today’s audiences, but which caused the committee of the Société nationale de musique to hum and haw over it for eighteen long months before finally letting it loose on the Parisian public in 1878.

From July to December 1882, Chabrier took his family on an extended holiday to Spain, during which he kept himself busy by noting down the Spanish folk tunes and dance rhythms he encountered on his way. He put many of them into his orchestral masterpiece España, a work overwhelming in its orchestral colour, which is such a characteristic feature of this composer. The impressions of his Spanish holiday can also be heard in the Habanera.

For six years Chabrier worked on Gwendoline, a two-act dramatic opera on a libretto by Catulle Mendès, set in Britain in what he called ‘barbarous times’. Inspired by Wagner and Berlioz, the Overture sets the scene perfectly for a drama of violence, treachery, and passion. A month after Gwendoline was premiered in Brussels in April 1886 the Opéra-Comique in Paris agreed to put on Chabrier’s next opera, Le Roi malgré lui, a melting pot of complex political intrigue, cheerful arias, and vivacious dances.

In 1880 Chabrier had written his Dix Pièces pittoresques for piano, and over the next few years he orchestrated four of them to form the Suite pastorale, with its gently pulsing ‘Idylle’ movement (which inspired Poulenc to become a composer), the raucous ‘Danse villageoise’, the sultry ‘Sous-bois’, and last but not least the sunny, high-spirited ‘Scherzo-valse’.

Also on this disc is the Joyeuse marche, one of Chabrier’s most popular works, and the Bourrée fantasque, based on a dance from the Auvergne region in France where the composer had spent his childhood.

On a recent music forum the question was posed ‘What music makes you smile?’ The immediate answer ‘Anything by Chabrier’ initiated a chorus of approval as others responded with their favourite Chabrier pieces. Everyone knows Espana, many will recognise Joyeuse marche and an increasing number are now familiar with the exquisitely crafted L’étoile. This CD celebrates these works and much else besides in performances that have attracted the highest praise. Every emotion from the stormy (Gwendoline Overture) to the life-affirming (L’île heureuse) as well as the inevitable laugh out loud works, is covered, Chabrier’s genial nature, earthy sense of humour, unconventional keyboard technique and wide-ranging interests ensured that he moved easily in C19 artistic circles and amongst his closest friends were the finest composers, painters and writers of the day. His influence on twentieth century music was immense and if you enjoy Stravinsky, Debussy, Ravel, Satie, Poulenc and de Falla, then you will love this disc!

The French conductor François-Xavier Roth was born in France in 1971 and studied at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique. In October 2000 he won joint first prize at the Donatella Flick Conducting Competition in London, following which he was appointed for two seasons assistant conductor with the London Symphony Orchestra. From 2000 to 2002 he was also assistant conductor with the Caen Orchestra. In 2003 François-Xavier Roth created the chamber orchestra Les Siècles (The Centuries), combining period and modern instruments, an orchestra which covers a vast repertoire from Baroque to contemporary music.

"Like Gardiner or Minkovski, Hervé Niquet, the excellent musical director in the Concert Spirituel, finds himself perfectly with at ease in the music of Chabrier, the father of musical impressionism."

- Virgin Megapresse (Benoit Duteurtre), February, 2000