v/a - French Avant-Garde in the 20th Century, The

LTM
(LTM2571: 708527002063)

$14.75

Following on from our popular primer A Young Person's Guide to the Avant-Garde, LTM offers a more comprehensive overview of French avant-garde music in the 20th century.

Commencing with pioneers Claude Debussy and Erik Satie, this chronological double disc set moves forward to absurdist and dreamlike Dada and Surrealist compositions (Duchamp, Picabia, Desnos, Ribemont-Dessaignes), as well as the more conventional work of Jean Cocteau's celebrated 'Group des Six', and onwards to postwar electronics and musique concrète by Pierre Schaeffer, Pierre Henry and Edgard Varèse.

Works by a number of modern composers (Messiaen, Boulez, Greif, Catoire, Hersant) are also featured, several of which are world premiere recordings by noted French pianist Nicolas Horvath. With a generous playing time of 140 minutes, this double CD package also offers an illustrated booklet with detailed historical notes.

Tracklist:

Disc 1:

1. Claude Debussy Canope (1909)
2. Erik Satie Trois morceaux en forme de poire (1903)
3. Guillaume Apollinaire Le Pont Mirabeau (1913)
4. Marcel Duchamp Musical Erratum (1913)
5. Georges Ribemont-Dessaignes Le Nombril interlope (1920)
6. Jean (Hans) Arp Strassburgkonfiguration (1931)
7. Francis Picabia La Nourrice américaine (1920)
8. Arthur Honegger Pacific 231 (1923)
9. Jean Cocteau Les Voleurs d'Enfants (1929)
10. Robert Desnos Relation d'un rêve (1938)
11-16. L'Album des Six (1920)
17-20. Dane Rudhyar Tetragram #3 (Rebirth) (1927)
21. Olivier Greif 2nd Hommage à Raymond Roussel (1971)

Disc 2:

1. Olivier Messiaen Cantéyodjayâ (1949)
2-6. Pierre Schaeffer Cinq études de bruits (1948)
7. Pierre Henry La Voile d'Orphée (1953)
8. Edgard Varèse Poème électronique (1958)
9. Pierre Boulez Sonatine, pour flûte et piano (1946)
10. Jean Catoire Opus 145 (1969)
11. Philippe Hersant La lande (2001)

Reviews:

"Very good work. Good sound with nice visuals, and interesting documentation. One of the best ideas behind this LTM collection (not to mention the fantastic archival and editing work) is to let us hear not only the music/sounds. but also the voices of the avant-garde" (Radio France Culture, 10/2014)