Labels specialising in French chamber music

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I've been thinking I'd like to get back into French chamber music lately. Had a quick shufti in Amazon UK for Jean-Marie Leclair and was amazed how much there was available - but it's actually a limited number of works done several times on labels I don't know by musicians I don't know. In the 60s, there wasn't the choice, so I got what I could find.

Back in the R&B days, I'd follow labels that seemeed to be good at R&B. So, do different classical labels have specialist subjects they're good at? And, if so, which are good on French chamber music - baroque to early 20th C?

MG

[mikeweil]

A German baroque violin player once told me many of colleagues shy away from the French style as they are not familiar enough with it. Leclair and others are indeed under-represented. There currently is no label specialising on French baroque music, at least not for strings.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks Mike.

I'll do what I always used to with classical music; go for cheapness

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

You might take a nose round Timpani Records. A French label that specialises in French music of the 19th/20thC. You won't get approved recordings but there's lots of out of the way music - I've grown fond of Jean Cras for example:

http://www.timpani-records.com/compositeurs.php

Hyperion - which tends to specialise in smaller scale performance - has a lot of French music, especially song.

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA67255/6

I don't know the Poulenc discs I've linked to but can highly recommend the music itself. Chuck in some names into the search engine and see what you get.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks Bev, I'll take a look. I think you've said in the past that Hyperion does downloads with full sleeve notes etc. That's important in my new exploration.

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

Thanks Bev, I'll take a look. I think you've said in the past that Hyperion does downloads with full sleeve notes etc. That's important in my new exploration.

MG

I can vouch for the quality of their downloads. I've purchased a lot that way in recent years.

Notice they have their standard label and then 'Helios' where they reissue music - normally around £5.99. Same standard of packaging though.

For what its worth I think some of their Faure chamber music records won various awards (music I've yet to connect to).

Edited June 2, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I like Faure's chamber work, what I've heard. I used to have the piano quintet, but didn't see that on either site. Anyway, I got:

Debussy & Ravel string quartets (+ Ravel's violin sonata) - Dante Quartet

Leclair sonatas vols 1 & 2 - Convivium

Just about to start listening to the Leclairs.

Thanks a lot, Bev.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Oh, this is really nice. Glad I did this.

MG

[A Lark Ascending]

I love the Debussy Ravel quartets. If you don't know it, seek out a version of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet' - desert island music. Well, actually, lush European countryside music.

This is another brilliant record:

The music sounds like the cover.

I think you'll find the Faure piano quintets at Hyperion along with the piano quartets:

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/dc.asp?dc=D_CDA66766&vw=dc

http://www.hyperion-records.co.uk/al.asp?al=CDA66166

The site is accent sensitive - only a selection of Faure recordings appear without. But there is a link under 'People' that gets you the full list.

Edited June 2, 2013 by A Lark Ascending

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Ah, that's helpful. Thanks Bev.

MG

[Chuck Nessa]

EMI has 2 double cds of Faure chamber music with Jean-Philippe Collard and others. One set is duos for piano, violin, cello and flute, the other is quartets and quintets.

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I love the Debussy Ravel quartets. If you don't know it, seek out a version of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet' - desert island music. Well, actually, lush European countryside music.

This is another brilliant record:

The music sounds like the cover.

I always found Debussy more akin to Odilon Redon

MG

[Chuck Nessa]

EMI also have a nice 2 disc set of Poulenc Chamber music.

[A Lark Ascending]

I love the Debussy Ravel quartets. If you don't know it, seek out a version of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet' - desert island music. Well, actually, lush European countryside music.

This is another brilliant record:

The music sounds like the cover.

I always found Debussy more akin to Odilon Redon

MG

I suspect you are more accurate there. Seem to recall either Debussy being unhappy with the Impressionist label or some commentators. Wasn't he associated with Symbolism?

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

I love the Debussy Ravel quartets. If you don't know it, seek out a version of Ravel's 'Introduction and Allegro for Harp, Flute, Clarinet and String Quartet' - desert island music. Well, actually, lush European countryside music.

This is another brilliant record:

The music sounds like the cover.

I always found Debussy more akin to Odilon Redon

MG

I suspect you are more accurate there. Seem to recall either Debussy being unhappy with the Impressionist label or some commentators. Wasn't he associated with Symbolism?

Yes. Back in the day, one saw quite a few albums with Odilon Redon sleeves around.

I think they were mates anyway. Have to check in my Redon bio.

MG

[mikeweil]

There is a cheap box set on Brilliant Classics (no bootlegs, but properly licensed) with all the EMI recordings of Faure's chamber music (and another with the piano music), which is very nice.

The violin was not featured in France in the baroque era to the extent it was in other European countries - it was Italian influence that made violin sonatas popular in France. Leclair's were the first of international stature, comparable to those of Albinoni, Locatelli, Torelli, and Tartini in Italy. But Francois Couperins are beautiful when played on violin, try Monica Huggett's recording:

Mondonville's sonatas feature the violin as an obligato part to the harpsichord. But there are full-fledged violin sonatas by an underrated French late baroque virtuoso, Jean-Baptiste Senallié:

Edited June 2, 2013 by mikeweil

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Thanks Mike. 5 CDs of Faure looks a bit too much for me at present The Leclair is almost certainly going to be better one at a time, rather than 2 1/2 hours at a go. One benefit of DL - organising stuff the way you want.

The Senallié looks interesting - never heard of him. Is this just one CD?

It's really interesting that, as with thirties swing bands, unpopular stuff has been collected on CDs, and never made it to LP.

MG

[mikeweil]

Both Senallié (he lived 1688 to 1730) are single CDs - I have only the second one, and can recommend it. Fine music, well played. Bought it at a sellout for curiosity, and was surprised by the high level of the music. No idea if the contents overlap.

Of the Leclair discs I have this one by Manfredo Kraemer's Rare Fruits Council, which confronts him with Italian Locatelli, is the best IMO, but it may be hard to find ...

Edited June 3, 2013 by mikeweil

[king ubu]

couple other cheapo Fauré boxes around:

http://www.amazon.de/Kammermusik-Various/dp/B0040UEIA4/

(no idea how it compares to the Brilliant, got parts of it elsewhere)

http://www.amazon.de/S%C3%A4mtl-Kammermusik-mit-Klavier-Capu%C3%A7on/dp/B0057JWUVG/

(got this one, but it's been a while since I gave any of it a spin)

and these are very good, I find:

[mikeweil]

There is a new cheap Naxos CD of some Leclair sonatas that seems to be recommendable, judging from the samples I heard. There seems to be a whole series with these musicians - maybe this is something for you, MG?

Edited June 24, 2013 by mikeweil

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Looks interesting; thanks Mike. Will get to these sometime.

MG

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

Took me a bit of time to track this down but, amazingly, with the help of the All Music Guide, I've found this.

Piddling little image. Anyway, it's Joseph Bodin de Boismortier, 'Serenades Francaises' on Naxos. I used to have a collection which included his bassoon concerto, which I always thought was lovely.

Before I spring for this - although it's not terribly expensive - does anyone have any view on what you get when you download from Naxos?

MG

[king ubu]

No clue, but you can also get it as CD-R from amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Boismortier-Serenades-Francaises-Fragments-Melodiques/dp/B00004YYQR/

Or even better, as a real CD (unless I didn't catch some of the small print) from the UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004YYQR/

[The Magnificent Goldberg]

No clue, but you can also get it as CD-R from amazon.com:

http://www.amazon.com/Boismortier-Serenades-Francaises-Fragments-Melodiques/dp/B00004YYQR/

Or even better, as a real CD (unless I didn't catch some of the small print) from the UK:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00004YYQR/

Oh, that's wonderful - buy the CD from Amazon UK for £4-99, or £3-72 from a seller, or an MP3 rip download without sleeve notes for £7-49. Definitely a case of the left hand not knowing what the right hand's doing

MG

[king ubu]

Well, the amazon offer does look a bit strange (using what I guess is the cover put together for the download and all) ... but you can always return it if they send you a CD-R, I guess.