Phonographic publishing amply relays the trends observed in concert halls, where musical institutions now want to reflect the society in which they evolve. The programming of works by composers of color is on the rise. We began to explore last Saturday, with Afro-American and Ukrainian composers, to what extent this sonic windfall would pragmatically allow us to hope to expand our repertoire. The female composers are even more spoiled.
This overview has a very specific purpose. The recordings, thanks to the range of works, make it possible to discover composers — here female composers — or, more specifically, works which could find a legitimate place in our concert halls.
A number of institutions now comply with the doctrine of “equity, diversity, inclusion”, without obviously being able to discern the part of conviction, opportunism, conformism or simple instinct of conservation (subsidies and sponsorships threatening to ‘go away). Nothing would be worse than integrating scores for the mere fact of “ticking boxes”.
It will remain to be determined, with our disaster-stricken musical education system, how programming Samuel Coleridge Taylor or Louise Farrenc brings a sociological broadening of the concert audience, but one thing is certain: it is through the artistic quality of the works offered. that we will convince of the legitimacy of the approach.
Consecrated values
These last two years have established names of female composers such as Florence Price or Louise Farrenc and a few others. It’s time to sort through their works.
A true star and symbol of a “renaissance”, publicized thanks to Yannick Nézet-Séguin, Florence Price (1887-1953), the first great black composer, had been revealed by conductor John Jeter at Naxos. At the head of the Philharmonie du Württemberg, Jeter has just recorded his 3e CD Price: two concert overtures, Songs of the Oak, The Oak, Colonial Dance and Suite of Dances. The Concert Overture noh 2 (1943), on themes of spirituals known, certainly has a great future.
These last two years have established names of female composers, such as Florence Price or Louise Farrenc and a few others.
Price is comfortable in the small forms of this program. The orchestra being a little rough, this is a version to know these works while waiting for an American orchestra to get down to it.
It was Edna Stern who gave the major boost to Hélène de Montgeroult (1764-1836). Clare Hammond’s new disc on Bis links 27 studies among the more than 100 that exist. From this point of view, Stern, who varied the musical genres (studies, sonatas), showed better how Montgeroult paved the way for Schubert. The complementary disc to his is, for the time being, the complete sonatas by Nicolas Horvath published at the end of 2021 by Grand Piano.
On the same register, that of studies pianistic, we should rather be interested in the first volume of the complete piano works of Louise Farrenc. Four cycles and 87 studies on two discs, mostly world premieres. Maria Stratigou, as part of her doctorate which also led her to revise the scores, took three years to record everything. The very post-Beethoven and para-Mendelssohn cycle of Thirty studies op. 26 (1833-1838), which spans 70 minutes, is a gem.
CPO continues to publish the symphonies of the formidable Émilie Mayer (1812-1883). The twist invented at the time by the testosterone intelligentsia to silence it was the refusal to publish its works so that orchestras could not play it.
Mayer’s style is in the middle Weber or Schubert genre (Symphoniesnotbone 5 and 6). CPO entrusts here the Symphonies nbone 3 and 7 to the excellent Jan Willem de Vriend and to the Radiophilharmonie de la NDR. Perfect initiative, because the resurrection of works by orchestras of 4e category can be frustrating. This was the case with the “Military Symphony” (notoh 3) by Mayer, previously recorded in Bremerhaven and then in Schwerin. So here is finally a solid reference with a better coupling: a Symphony noh 7 without subtitles, but even more interesting.
By the great English composer Ethel Smyth, the Villiers Quartet recorded the String Quartet (1902-1912) for Naxos. But nothing is very memorable. The sound recording is off, the playing of the quartet, winded and the Quartetas it is, leaves a diffuse and stringy impression.
Fanny Hensel, Mendelssohn’s sister, assiduously composed for the piano. By selecting his program for the Ars label, Sontraud Speidel, as Edna Stern had done for Hélène de Montgeroult, offers a wide range of works showing influences ranging from Bach to Schumann. These are fifteen short piano pieces, but very beautiful inspired romantic music. The Wordless melody noh 2 is not to be missed.
Last “celebrity”, but in the Baroque universe, Élisabeth Jacquet de la Guerre (1665-1729), who is known for her pieces for harpsichord and her sonatas for violin, is served by an Evidence disc from the Ensemble Amarillis presenting the cantatas Mixes and Juditha moderately stimulating publication aimed at specialists in the French Baroque of the early 18th centurye century.
Discoveries
In the Baroque repertoire, a conjunction of three releases draws our attention to Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704), a nun from Novara, in northern Italy, presented at the last Montreal Baroque Festival. The discovery is much more interesting than that of the cantatas of Jacquet de la Guerre.
A Brilliant CD offers all 11 Sonatas in trio op. 16 by the Giardino di Delizie Ensemble. nice disc, that we found in full on YouTube. For more variety and vocal music, one could turn to a Toccata release: Solo and Duo Motets, Trio Sonatas and a “Cantata Morale”. Alas, the sound recording is so colorful and artificial that it’s discouraging.
In the Baroque repertoire, a conjunction of three releases draws our attention to Isabella Leonarda (1620-1704), a nun from Novara, in northern Italy, presented at the last Montreal Baroque Festival.
We will therefore get to know, through A Portrait of Isabella Leonarda, with essentially vocal works, sometimes abundant, sometimes intimate. La Capella Artemisia is honorable, but far from a cutting-edge vocal ensemble.
It is therefore for the moment, for want of anything better, the wisest way to get to know the surprisingly sensual music of this musician nun.
The greatest discovery is closer to us: Charlotte Sohy (1887-1955), heroine of the incredible box Charlotte Sohy, composer of the Belle Époque, published by The box of nuggets. Three discs: piano, quartet, orchestra. We think that so much talent deserves a book. It’s done ! The Forgotten Symphonyby chef Debora Waldman and Pauline Sommelet, at Robert Laffont.
The Three nostalgic songs like the Two sung poems for mezzo are to be integrated into the repertoire of the OSM or the OM, especially since we have the voices here to sing it even better than Aude Extrémo on the disc. Like the name of the publisher, everything is nugget in this nectar of French music that is both para-Debussy and post-Indy. sentimental story would fit easily into any orchestra gig and the quartets (by Quatuor Hermès) are glorious. This is “the” very large publication of this overview.
Even closer to us, the Englishwoman Ruth Gipps (1921-1999) is honored by an anthology of her orchestral works published by Chandos under the direction of Rumon Gamba. A recent volume 2 is aimed at seasoned collectors of English music (Arnold, Delius, Ireland come first), but reveals both a Oboe Concerto in D minor (1941) successful, Gipps being an oboist herself, and a Symphony noh 3 (1965) of impressive orchestral mastery.
To these monographs are added various “transversal” discs with evocative titles, such as Wifeat Naxos, melodies with many oriental accents or two volumes entitled The Future Is Female at First Hand Records by pianist Sarah Cahill, programs through the centuries accumulating as many female composer names as possible with a thick piano sound. In the genre, it is she/her/hers by Canadian violinist Lara St. John, which is the most consistent, since it offers almost only female composers of our time and therefore allows us to hear Gabriela Lena Frank and Jessie Montgomery, the two new muses of American programmers. Which is in no way a guarantee of quality in itself…