Debussy’s Syrinx,
for all its brevity, is a key work in
the modern repertoire for flute, and
without it many later works such as,
say, Varèse’s Density 21.5
and Jolivet’s Incantations
would have been unthinkable. Appropriately
enough, it opens the present recital
and is immediately followed (almost
without a pause) by Richard Rodney Bennett’s
Sonata after Syrinx for
flute, viola and harp. This is the third
work that Bennett composed after Debussy’s
flute work, the other three being After
Syrinx I for oboe and piano
(1982), After Syrinx II
for solo marimba (1984) and Tango
after Syrinx for piano (1985).
It thus opens with Debussy’s tune, continues
on two Scherzos interspersed with a
short cadenza. It ends with a coda musing
on the basic material.
Takemitsu’s music is
much indebted to Debussy and Messiaen,
and has often been described as "updated
Debussy", not as a criticism, but
rather as a point of reference, since
Debussy’s music played such a formative
role in Takemitsu’s development. As
much else in his music, And then
I knew ’twas wind is a predominantly
slow-moving study in subtle, refined
sound textures unfolding as a dreamy
ritual.
Debussy’s Sonata
for Flute, Viola and Harp is,
of course, central here. At the time
of its composition, Debussy was severely
ill, whereas World War I was still tragically
raging. So, Debussy’s planned set of
sonatas for various instrumental combinations
was to be a reaction to German barbarism,
as it was then felt, and an overt homage
to his illustrious predecessors, such
as Couperin and Rameau. To a certain
extent, too, the nostalgic quality of
much of the music of the Sonata
may be experienced as an exorcism of
sorts. I for one consider it his last
masterpiece, whatever the respective
merits of the Violin Sonata and the
Cello Sonata, composed at about the
same time.
Benoît Mernier’s
Images for flute, viola
and harp was commissioned for this recording.
It has since been performed in public.
I have already been able to review two
other Cyprès discs entirely devoted
to his music. These clearly show that
he is one of the most endearing composers
of his generation, and a distinctive
voice to be reckoned with. Images
is a beautifully-crafted piece of music
of substance and refinement. It deserves
to become as popular as Debussy’s sonata
to which it pays homage without ever
slavishly imitating it. The music displays
all the characteristics of Mernier’s
music-making: clarity of line, instrumental
subtlety and refined textures, brilliantly
exploiting the sound palette of the
instruments in a most imaginative manner,
while preserving the expressive strength
of the ensemble. This is a really beautiful
addition to the repertoire. It could,
and I am sure will, become popular.
In short, this is a
well planned, superbly played programme
that is a pure joy from start to finish
and generously repays repeated hearings.
Warmly recommended.
Hubert Culot
Trio Medicis (Bernard Pierreuse, flute; Ning
Shi, viola; Francette Bartholomée, harp)
