August 14 2017.Ibert, Porpora, Enescu.The French composer Jacques Ibert was born in Paris on August 15th of 1890.His father was a successful trader and his mother an amateur pianist who studied with the Conservatory professors.Jacques started studying the violin at the age of four and later took piano lessons.In his youth, he supported himself as an accompanist and a cinema pianist.He took several courses at the Paris Conservatory and attended private classes with André Gedalge, a teacher and composer.There he met Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud, two young composers who would later, together with Poulenc, Auric, Durey and Tailleferre form a group called Les Six.Ibert never joined in as during those years he stayed mostly away from Paris: during the Great War, he was a naval officer and then, returning to Paris, he won the Prix de Rome on his first attempt and went to Italy.This was a remarkable achievement considering that Ibert was absent from practically any music studies for almost four war years.The first concert of Ibert’s works, in 1922, was conducted by Gabriel Pierné (his birthday is also this week, on August 16th; he was born in 1863).In 1937, he was made the director of the Académie de France at the Villa Medici, a position he held till 1960. Ibert died in Paris on February 5th of 1962.Here’s Ibert’s Flute Concerto, with Emmanuel Pahud as the soloist.
Nicola Porpora was born on August 17th of 1686.Last year, on Porpora’s 330th anniversary, we posted a detailed entry about this wonderful composer and music teacher (here), so today we’ll just play the aria Sì pietoso il tuo labbro ragiona from his opera Semiramide riconosciuta.In the opera, this aria is sung by Merteo, an Egyptian prince, brother of Semiramide.At the premier this role was performed by the great soprano castrato (and Porpora’s student) Carlo Maria Broschi, better known as Farinelli. Here it is sung by the Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg; Christophe Rousset conducts the ensemble Les Talens Lyriques.The music is wonderful and makes one wonder why Porpora’s operas aren’t staged more often.
George Enescu’s birthday is also this week, on August 19th.Enescu was born in a small village (later renamed in his honor into “George Enescu”) in Moldavia, a historical province of Romania. A child prodigy, he started composing at the age of five. At the age of seven, he was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory, the youngest person ever. There he studied the violin, the piano and composition. At the age of 10 he was presented to the court and played to the Emperor Franz Joseph. At the age of 13 he moved to Paris and went to the Paris Conservatory where he studied with André Gedalge, whom we mentioned above as a teacher of Jacques Ibert (Gedalge also taught Ravel, Honegger and many other soon to be famous composers). Like Bartók who was influenced by the folk music of Hungary and Romania, Enescu liberally borrow from the tunes of his native country. In 1901, at just twenty years old, he wrote two Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11, which remained his most popular compositions (quite to his chagrin, as he thought they overshadowed his more mature compositions). Enescu traveled to the US for the first time in 1923 and many times thereafter, performing as a conductor and a violinist. He lived mostly in Paris and Bucharest. During World War II he stayed in Romania, and made several recordings with the great pianist Dinu Lipatti. When the Soviets took over, he moved back to Paris. He got more involved in teaching the violin.Among his students were such future greats as Yehudi Menuhin, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, and Ida Haendel. Menuhin said that Enescu was "the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most formative influence" he had ever experienced. Here’s is his Romanian Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 11.Iosif Conta conducts the National Radio Orchestra of Romania.
Ibert, Porpora, Enescu, 2017
August 14 2017. Ibert, Porpora, Enescu. The French composer Jacques Ibert was born in Paris on August 15th of 1890. His father was a successful trader and his mother an amateur pianist who studied with the Conservatory professors. Jacques started studying the violin at the age of four and later took piano lessons. In his youth, he supported himself as an accompanist and a cinema pianist. He took several courses at the
Paris Conservatory and attended private classes with André Gedalge, a teacher and composer. There he met Arthur Honegger and Darius Milhaud, two young composers who would later, together with Poulenc, Auric, Durey and Tailleferre form a group called Les Six. Ibert never joined in as during those years he stayed mostly away from Paris: during the Great War, he was a naval officer and then, returning to Paris, he won the Prix de Rome on his first attempt and went to Italy. This was a remarkable achievement considering that Ibert was absent from practically any music studies for almost four war years. The first concert of Ibert’s works, in 1922, was conducted by Gabriel Pierné (his birthday is also this week, on August 16th; he was born in 1863). In 1937, he was made the director of the Académie de France at the Villa Medici, a position he held till 1960. Ibert died in Paris on February 5th of 1962. Here’s Ibert’s Flute Concerto, with Emmanuel Pahud as the soloist.
Nicola Porpora was born on August 17th of 1686. Last year, on Porpora’s 330th anniversary, we posted a detailed entry about this wonderful composer and music teacher (here), so today we’ll just play the aria Sì pietoso il tuo labbro ragiona from his opera Semiramide riconosciuta. In the opera, this aria is sung by Merteo, an Egyptian prince, brother of Semiramide. At the premier this role was performed by the great soprano castrato (and Porpora’s student) Carlo Maria Broschi, better known as Farinelli. Here it is sung by the Swedish mezzo-soprano Ann Hallenberg; Christophe Rousset conducts the ensemble Les Talens Lyriques. The music is wonderful and makes one wonder why Porpora’s operas aren’t staged more often.
George Enescu’s birthday is also this week, on August 19th. Enescu was born in a small village (later renamed in his honor into “George Enescu”) in Moldavia, a historical province of Romania. A child prodigy, he started composing at the age of five. At the age of seven, he was admitted to the Vienna Conservatory, the youngest person ever. There he studied the violin, the piano and composition. At the age of 10 he was presented to the court and played to the Emperor Franz Joseph. At the age of 13 he moved to Paris and went to the Paris Conservatory where he studied with André Gedalge, whom we mentioned above as a teacher of Jacques Ibert (Gedalge also taught Ravel, Honegger and many other soon to be famous composers). Like Bartók who was influenced by the folk music of Hungary and Romania, Enescu liberally borrow from the tunes of his native country. In 1901, at just twenty years old, he wrote two Romanian Rhapsodies, Op. 11, which remained his most popular compositions (quite to his chagrin, as he thought they overshadowed his more mature compositions). Enescu traveled to the US for the first time in 1923 and many times thereafter, performing as a conductor and a violinist. He lived mostly in Paris and Bucharest. During World War II he stayed in Romania, and made several recordings with the great pianist Dinu Lipatti. When the Soviets took over, he moved back to Paris. He got more involved in teaching the violin. Among his students were such future greats as Yehudi Menuhin, Ivry Gitlis, Arthur Grumiaux, and Ida Haendel. Menuhin said that Enescu was "the most extraordinary human being, the greatest musician and the most formative influence" he had ever experienced. Here’s is his Romanian Rhapsody No. 2, Op. 11. Iosif Conta conducts the National Radio Orchestra of Romania.