Eloq uence DELIBES. Coppélia Sylvia: Suite RAVEL. Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2. L Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Ernest Ansermet

Transcription

1 Eloq uence DELIBES Coppélia Sylvia: Suite RAVEL Daphni et Chloé: Suite No. 2 L Orchetre de la Suie Romande Ernet Anermet

2 $ % ^ & * ( )

3 LÉO DELIBES ( ) CD Coppélia Tableau I 1 Prélude Mazurka No. 1: Vale No. 2: Scène (Swanhilde et Frantz) No. 3: Mazurka No. 4: Scène (Préparatif de fête) No. 5: Ballade de l épi No. 6: Thème lave varié No. 7a: Czárdá (Dane hongroie) No. 7b: Sortie 5 37 Tableau II 0 No. 8: Entr acte Vale 1 34! No. 9: Scène (L atelier de Coppélia) 2 No. 10: Scène 2 41 No. 11a: Muique de automate 1 37 $ No. 11b: Scène 1 16 % No. 12: Scène 2 25 ^ No. 13: Chanon à boire 3 33 & No. 14: Scène et Vale de la Poupée 3 34 * No. 15: Scène 3 51 ( No. 16: Boléro 1 38 ) No. 17: Gigue 1 27 No. 18: Scène (Final) 2 13

4 CD Tableau III 1 No. 19: Marche de la cloche 3 08 No. 20: Fête de la cloche - Divertiement: 2 a) Vale de heure b) L aurore c) La prière d) Le travail (La fileue) e) L hymen (Noce villageoie) f) La dicorde et la guerre g) La paix h) Galop final 3 55 Sylvia Suite 0 I Prélude Le chaeree 5 03! II Intermezzo et Vale lente 3 III Pizzicati 1 48 IV March Cortège de Bacchu 5 50 Total timing: MAURICE RAVEL ( ) Daphni et Chloé: Suite No. 2 $ I Lever du jour 6 03 % II Pantomine 6 43 ^ III Dane générale 3 48 L Orchetre de la Suie Romande Ernet Anermet C p w c fo b T E w T fi B tu b c S a N th h d C m o fu to

5 Coppélia i ballet comedy materpiece. A perennial favourite and pillar of the repertoire ince it premiere in 1870, it ha, in one critic word, a peculiar grace, a bouquet a freh a a ummer morning in the country. With it charm, elegance and wit it et a new tandard for ballet muic. Tchaikovky wa directly inpired by it, a wa Stravinky. The première, on 25 May 1870, attended by Emperor Napoleon III and the Empre Eugénie, wa to prove their lat viit to the Pari Opéra. The lead role of Swanhilde wa played by the fifteen-year-old Italian prodigy, Guieppina Bozzacchi. However, the initial triumph oon turned to tragedy when the Franco-Pruian War broke out three month later and all theatre cloed. It choreographer, the doyen, Arthur Saint-Léon, died of a heart attack two day later and the Second Empire collaped when Napoleon III army wa cruhed at Sedan and the Emperor himelf taken prioner. Bozzacchi herelf urvived only until the November when, during the German iege of Pari, he died of mallpox on her eventeenth birthday. Coppélia brilliant core rank with Tchaikovky materpiece but Coppélia i alo notable for other reaon. A well a being one of the few full-length comic ballet, it i alo one of the few to boat a firt-rate plot. The librettit, if ballet can be aid to have one, Charle Nuttier ( ) baed hi cenario looely on E.T.A. Hoffmann Der Sandmann, but, in Nuttier hand, the macabre original morphed into a light-hearted comedy, whoe main dynamic centred on a girl imitating the movement of a mechanical doll. The tory wa tranferred from Nuremberg to Galicia in outhern Poland, becaue Saint-Léon felt thi a more likely etting for the Central European dance he wanted to include to enrich the core. It alo pioneer the ue of leitmotif in ballet: each character ha a particular theme. Ernet Anermet reading, the firt complete recording, i burting with a palette ranging from both primary colour to patel nuance and embodie the true pirit of the ballet, with it bright, rather cloe recording, creating a truly theatrical effect. Thi i a much a Coppélia to be danced to a litened to. Hi rhythm are buoyant and convincing and he effectively convey the kaleidocopic mood of thi core, a major challenge for even a virtuoo ymphony orchetra, let alone a pit band. The balance i effective and the tring tone i full and glowing. The alert preciion and piquancy of the woodwind i a contant delight, epecially in the Muique de automate.

6 A the curtain rie on a mall town quare CD 1 1, the Suie Romande horn ring out followed by a luh tring melody and then the entire orchetra enter robutly with an extract from the famou mazurka. The woodwind ection anwer each other with exquiite delicacy a Swanhilde enter and trie to attract the attention of the doll who grace the balcony of her neighbour, the initer Dr. Coppeliu, with a waltz 2. Delibe ue the expreion Scène to decribe the way dancer mime their way rapidly through dramatic excue for the next et piece a ort of balletic equivalent of recitative. Delibe are o well written and entertaining that they are jut a enjoyable without the tage action. Swanhilde hide 3 a her fiancé, Frantz, enter and blow a ki toward the doll, whoe jerky movement are depicted with rather humorou tiffne by flute and oboe. Incened, Swanhilde appear to berate Frantz for hi incontancy a the villager uddenly warm into the quare. A full verion of the famou mazurka 4 i now heard danced by the crowd a the Burgomater arrive. The Burgomater announce that a local worthy ha preented a bell to the town and that a fetival will be held the following day to celebrate 5. A priet will alo marry betrothed couple and each bride will receive a dowry from the nobleman. Coppélia i uddenly dragged by Dr Coppeliu from the balcony back into the houe. Aked whether he will wed Frantz the next day 6, Swanhilde take a heaf of wheat, hold it to her ear and lowly hake her head, indicating it confirm her judgment of him a unfaithful. Thi ection feature a prominent and heartfelt olo for violin, which anticipate the extended violin olo in Tchaikovky Sleeping Beauty. Swanhilde and her friend dance a erie of variation 7, thought by Delibe to be a Polih folk tune but which wa, in fact, compoed by hi Polih contemporary Stanilaw Moniuzko. They are a howcae for filigree playing by the Suie Romande woodwind, with added deft touche from the bra and percuion. All the townfolk now join in a lively Czarda 8, a Hungarian dance for the firt time featured in a ballet. Coppeliu leave hi houe 9, lock the door and i then caught in a melee with drunken peaant and drop hi key. A he diappear, Swanhilde and her friend enter and, recognizing the key, decide to explore hi myteriou houe. Frantz alo appear with a la C th i A a S m C d fi p w fo D re S g h ro k in a C w a

7 t, f. t r,, ladder, alo intending to break in and woo Coppélia! He i frightened away momentarily a the old man return, but a the curtain fall, he i again emboldened and begin to climb. After a brief reference to Dr Coppeliu theme at the tart of Tableau II 0, we hear a reprie of Swanhilde waltz. The following Scène! ugget the girl furtively tiptoeing through the initer workhop, which i full of trange mechanical figure. Swanhilde dicover Coppélia in an alcove and realize he i jut a doll. Her friend begin to et the other clockwork figure in motion which whir away with pinprick preciion from the Suie Romande high wind and percuion; thi i a miniature tour de force, rather like Liadov A Muical Snuffbox. Dr. Coppeliu uddenly burt in catching them red-handed and hoo them away $, except Swanhilde who hide beide Coppélia. Frantz gingerly climb the ladder % but Coppeliu ee him and hide. When Frantz tumble into the room, Coppeliu eize him and demand to know what he up to. When he tell him of hi infatuation for Coppélia, Coppeliu appear to accept the tory and offer him ome wine. Coppeliu ha lipped a leeping draft into the wine and before long Frantz pae out ^. He attempt, through magic, to tranfer Frantz oul to Coppélia o a to breathe life into her. The muic from the opening reappear on muted violin in what ound like a reference to the Prelude to Wagner Lohengrin. Meanwhile, unbeknownt to Coppeliu, Swanhilde ha taken the doll place and imitate her taccato movement &. String cacade depict Coppeliu ectay. Swanhilde perform a hort dance * cored with uch gentility it could be a prototype for Palm Court muic. To the accompaniment of an exquiite oboe olo, her movement becoming more human, Swanhilde trick Coppeliu into thinking he ha ucceeded in bringing hi creation to life but he then turn capriciou and begin to attack the other clockwork figure with a word. Coppeliu hand her a fan. Swanhilde/Coppélia dance a bolero (. Coppeliu now drape a tartan acro her houlder and he dance a gigue ). A the muic become wilder, Frantz tir and Swanhilde again et off the clockwork figure in manic motion. Amid the confuion, he and Frantz ecape and Coppeliu pull back the curtain only to dicover the lifele, naked Coppélia. To the ound of bell opening the third tableau CD 2 1, the townfolk arrive and the fetival

8 begin on the etate of the local grandee who ha donated the bell. The bell i bleed and the betrothed couple, including Frantz and Swanhilde, are married. Coppeliu object and demand compenation which Swanhilde offer to pay out of her dowry but the lord of the manor init on paying. The remaining number in La Fête de la cloche (The Fetival of the Bell) are a divertiement and have no bearing on the tory, being merely vehicle for balletic diplay, featuring allegorical character, and, in thi cae, inpired orchetration and playing: 2 An enemble dance for the hour of morning with tring and triangle. 3 The dawn i repreented by ubtle coring for tring, woodwind and harp. 4 Another quiet olo dance for the pirit of prayer who blee the new day. 5 A whirling tring figure ugget a pinner and i rather reminicent of the ong Ye potted nake from Mendelohn incidental muic to A Midummer Night Dream. 6 The woodwind imitate the rutic timbre of droning bagpipe and pealing bell at a village wedding. 7 Trumpet introduce thi warlike diplay. 8 Peace carrie an olive branch depicted by a hauntingly beautiful and plangent viola olo, a trikingly original touch by Delibe, ince the viola i an unlikely intrument in a ballet core. The mood i broken by a dahing dance for Swanhilde. 9 A rouing galop bring the ballet to a joyou concluion. Anermet recorded only four number from Delibe other great ballet, Sylvia, about the hepherd boy infatuation with one of godde Diana handmaiden, Sylvia. In the end, love conquer all. The Suie Romande Orchetra oar exultantly in the Fanfare of the Huntree 0, and, in the Vale lente! (another of Delibe winome delicate waltze) and the famou pizzicato we ee the orchetra at it mot refined, while in the Proceion of Bacchu, both god and mortal take part in a proceion honouring the God of the Grape. The lat work on the CD i a treaure, a rare 1960 recording of the econd uite from Ravel Daphni et Chloe, compoed in It tell of Daphni and Chloe who live a heltered, idyllic life until Chloe i carried off by pirate and aved by the intervention of the god Pan. Anermet exiting recording of the entire ballet in 1953 and 1966 are alo univerally acclaimed. The detail and magnificently integrated weep o A in re fl d im te o b e b o th a re T m th A c w c p a d e

9 . f f f of thi performance and recording reinforce Anermet reputation a the pre-eminent interpreter of thi core. Thi performance i a real panorama, where he allow the muic to flow naturally yet introduce ubtle rubato to the dancing rhythm and handle gear change imperceptibly. Hi more than uually controlled tempo for the finale in no way rob the moment of it Dionyian abandon. Litening to the burbling, luminou woodwind playing in their evocation of Daybreak $, i like gazing into a beautiful prim, cuhioned by the dark umptuou tring accompaniment. The climax of the movement ha been decribed a one of the few moment in Ravel muic where he allowed hi natural warmth of peronality to reveal itelf. The woodwind playing in the central Pantomime movement %, where Daphni and Chloe mime the Pan and Syrinx tale, i imilarly exquiite and Anermet perfectly capture the atmophere of cool eroticim. However, it i in the finale where we can really appreciate Anermet art which conceal art in the way he fue enuality with preciion and execute the tempo change in the alternating 5/4 and 3/4 bar, creating a real tour de force to bring the work to an unforgettably exhilarating concluion. Greg Keane

10 : DECCA PHOTO E in 1 m U P h v B M H S b R a re F B P w R R Ernet Anermet H b p L o g R

11 : DECCA PHOTO t ERNEST ANSERMET wa a ignificant figure in twentieth-century muic. He wa born in 1883 and followed hi father profeion of mathematician, graduating from Lauanne Univerity in 1903 and returning there a Profeor of Mathematic, although by then he had realied that muic wa hi true vocation. He received tuition from Ernet Bloch and conducted hi firt concert at Montreux in He became a friend of Debuy, Ravel and Stravinky, on whoe recommendation he became conductor for Diaghilev Ballet Rue, a poition which took him to London and South America and which enhanced hi reputation to the point where he premiered Falla Three-Cornered Hat, Prokofiev The Buffoon and Stravinky The Soldier Tale, Pulcinella and Renard. All hi life, Anermet wa aociated with the Diaghilev core Ravel, Debuy and romantic Ruian like Rimky-Korakov and Borodin. However, Anermet talent extended well beyond thi phere of repertoire: he alo premiered work by Bloch, Copland, Lutolawki, Martinu, Walton and Britten opera The Rape of Lucretia. Anermet greatet legacy wa undoubtedly the Suie Romande Orchetra (Romande being the French peaking region of Switzerland centred around Geneva where the Orchetra i baed) Anermet remained it Chief Conductor from it formation in 1918 until hi retirement in 1968, urely an unprecedented period in the hitory of muic. After World War II, he igned an excluive contract with Decca and, apart from a flirtation with the London Philharmonic and the occaional excurion (vide ome recording with the Pari Conervatoire Orchetra), hi recording were made excluively with thi orchetra until hi retirement. Thi made Anermet unique, a even conductor uch a Furtwängler and Karajan, who both had marathon period a Chief Conductor of the Berlin Philharmonic, alo frequently conducted other orchetra uch a the Vienna Philharmonic and the Philharmonia Orchetra. The Suie Romande wa never one of the world top ten orchetra, but on it day it wa a fine enemble which benefited from Anermet crupulou adherence to the core, clarity and flair for detail. In a 75th birthday article, The Gramophone magazine commented on hi mathematical accuracy an unintentionally double-edged comment ince it ugget a ort of deiccated human abacu, largely devoid of pontaneity and intuition.

12 Anermet wa eentially unauming, almot acetic, and had none of the grand eigneur, bullying podium pychopath, or the fatuou dynamim of the bogu celebrity about him. However, he wa, epecially toward the end of hi life, often cantankerou and petulant and very jealou of any conideration diplayed toward hi Decca colleague and contemporary, Pierre Monteux. It wa a meaure of Anermet influence that he managed to peruade Decca to cat him againt type, a it were, and allow him to record Beethoven and Brahm cycle when the company had uch titan in the Autro/Germanic repertoire a Karl Böhm, Han Knappertbuch, Rafael Kubelik and Georg Solti. Some of hi lat recording were of Bach cantata. No portrait of Anermet, however brief, would be complete without anecdotal evidence of hi parimoniou ide, delivered with coniderable relih by John Culhaw in hi autobiography, Putting the Record Straight. Anermet Geneva apartment had drawer and cupboard tuffed with material from the Diaghilev day note galore from the impreario himelf, or from Stravinky and Nijinky, bundle of little ketche by Picao, potcard from Debuy, Satie and Ravel which eemed to mean little to him. Depite thi veritable cornucopia, on the departure from the company of the recording producer Jame Walker, who had worked with infinite patience and loyalty to produce the bet reult poible during Anermet declining year, all he received from Anermet wa a box of Swi chocolate! After hi retirement a Chief Conductor of the Suie Romande Orchetra in 1968, he made only one recording: a complete Firebird with the New Philharmonia, which included a rehearal equence. He urvived only a few month and died in February Had it been impoible for him to live without hi beloved Suie Romande Orchetra? Greg Keane T S D P (t D

13 r Great Ballet Muic Recording by Ernet Anermet on DECCA: t t TCHAIKOVSKY: The Nutcracker; Suite No. 2 & 3 Decca Eloquence TCHAIKOVSKY: Swan Lake; Rococo Variation; Symphony No. 6 Decca Eloquence TCHAIKOVSKY: The Sleeping Beauty Decca Eloquence PROKOFIEV: Symphonie No. 1 (two verion), 5 & 6 Decca Eloquence PROKOFIEV: Romeo and Juliet; Cinderella;The Prodigal Son; Scythian Suite; The Love of Three Orange Decca Eloquence PROKOFIEV: Violin Concerto No. 1 & 2; Piano Concerto No. 3 Ruggiero Ricci Juliu Katchen Decca Eloquence

14 Recording producer: Jame Walker Recording engineer: Roy Wallace, Gil Went (Coppélia); Roy Wallace (Sylvia, Daphni et Chloé) Recording location: Victoria Hall, Geneva, Switzerland, April 1957 (Coppélia), April 1959 (Sylvia), November 1960 (Daphni et Chloé) Eloquence erie manager: Cyru Meher-Homji Art direction: Chilu Tong Booklet editor: Bruce Raggatt

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