Les Six, Merci et Adieu Claude by Sérgio Pires / Kosuke Akimoto

Various composers

Sérgio Pires / Kosuke Akimoto

Les Six, Merci et Adieu Claude

Price: € 19.95
Format: CD
Label: CAvi
UPC: 4260085530380
Catnr: AVI 8553038
Release date: 04 February 2022
Buy

1 CD ✓ in stock	€ 19.95	Buy

Label
CAvi

UPC
4260085530380

Catalogue number
AVI 8553038

Release date
04 February 2022

"Pires is brilliant in the fast movements, very lyrical and expressive in the slow ones. In interaction with the highly sensitive acting Akimoto, he manages to create very moving moments. His clarinet sound is beautiful, round and smooth."

Pizzicato, 04-2-2022

Album

Artist(s)

Composer(s)

Press

About the album

LES SIX Merci et Adieu, Claude

„In the 19th and 20th centuries, French music achieved a unique profile and was widely acknowledged on the international scene. This success was due, last not least, to symbolic figures such as Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy, and the “Groupe des Six,” in spite of their divergent aesthetic tendencies.…
After the French defeat against Germany in 1871, Saint-Saëns became one of the founders of the “Société Nationale de Musique”, with the goal of promoting the French music of his time. Forty years later, the “Groupe des Six” would pursue similar objectives, but with different aesthetic ideals; Saint-Saëns would vehemently reject them.
….. The work’s predominantly Romantic style hardly betrays the fact that Claude Debussy had passed away three years earlier, and that the young composers who made up the “Groupe des Six” were already embarking on completely new musical paths.

Still, Saint-Saëns agreed with his younger colleagues about the need of foregoing the monumental bombast and Wagnerian pathos of Late Romantic music. Debussy and the “Groupe des Six” were more decisive and resolute in venturing a step further back in time, past Romanticism, and orienting themselves toward Baroque and Classical models, which led to a flowering of Neo-Classical musical tendencies.
With his individual aesthetics, Claude Debussy occupies a special position: he can not be reckoned among any school or group, and he certainly did not like to be called an “Impressionist.” In a certain sense, he is like a monolith.………….“ (From the booklet notes by Pedro Obiera)

"Im 19. und 20. Jahrhundert erlangte die französische Musik ein einzigartiges Profil und wurde auf der internationalen Bühne weithin anerkannt. Dieser Erfolg ist nicht zuletzt Symbolfiguren wie Camille Saint-Saëns, Claude Debussy und der "Groupe des Six" zu verdanken, trotz ihrer divergierenden ästhetischen Tendenzen....
Nach der Niederlage Frankreichs gegen Deutschland im Jahr 1871 gehörte Saint-Saëns zu den Gründern der "Société Nationale de Musique", deren Ziel es war, die französische Musik seiner Zeit zu fördern. Vierzig Jahre später sollte die "Groupe des Six" ähnliche Ziele verfolgen, allerdings mit anderen ästhetischen Idealen, die Saint-Saëns vehement ablehnte.
..... Der vorherrschende romantische Stil des Werks verrät kaum, dass Claude Debussy drei Jahre zuvor verstorben war und die jungen Komponisten der "Groupe des Six" bereits völlig neue musikalische Wege einschlugen.

Dennoch war sich Saint-Saëns mit seinen jüngeren Kollegen darin einig, dass man auf den monumentalen Bombast und das wagnerianische Pathos der spätromantischen Musik verzichten müsse. Entschiedener und entschlossener wagten sich Debussy und die "Groupe des Six" einen Schritt weiter zurück, über die Romantik hinaus, und orientierten sich an barocken und klassischen Vorbildern, was zu einer Blüte neoklassischer musikalischer Tendenzen führte.
Claude Debussy nimmt mit seiner individuellen Ästhetik eine Sonderstellung ein: Er lässt sich keiner Schule oder Gruppe zurechnen, und schon gar nicht wollte er als "Impressionist" bezeichnet werden. In gewissem Sinne ist er wie ein Monolith.............." (Aus den Anmerkungen im Booklet von Pedro Obiera)

Artist(s)

Sérgio Pires (clarinet)

As soloist, Sérgio Pires has performed with renowned orchestras in Europe; since 2016 he is the principal clarint player with the Winterthur MusikKollegium (CH). He participated in recordings for BIS, Genuin, MDG and Orpheus. As a highly requested chamber musician Sérgio Pires regularly performs with famous artists like Heinz Holliger, Michael Collins, Valentin Erben, Felix Renggli, Daniel Haefliger, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Emmanuel Abbuehl and many others. Sérgio Pires meanwhile took part in some of the most important and acclaimed classical music festivals in the world, such as European Music Campus (Austria), Kultursommer Nordhessen (Germany), BBC Proms (England), Schleswig-Holstein Festival (Germany), Isang-Yun Festival (South-Korea), East Neuk Festival (Scotland) and Festival Bozen (Italy). As an orchestral player, Pires has had, since very young age, a very active activity, being accepted at the age...

As soloist, Sérgio Pires has performed with renowned orchestras in Europe; since 2016 he is the principal clarint player with the Winterthur MusikKollegium (CH). He participated in recordings for BIS, Genuin, MDG and Orpheus.
As a highly requested chamber musician Sérgio Pires regularly performs with famous artists like Heinz Holliger, Michael Collins, Valentin Erben, Felix Renggli, Daniel Haefliger, Krzysztof Chorzelski, Emmanuel Abbuehl and many others. Sérgio Pires meanwhile took part in some of the most important and acclaimed classical music festivals in the world, such as European Music Campus (Austria), Kultursommer Nordhessen (Germany), BBC Proms (England), Schleswig-Holstein Festival (Germany), Isang-Yun Festival (South-Korea), East Neuk Festival (Scotland) and Festival Bozen (Italy).
As an orchestral player, Pires has had, since very young age, a very active activity, being accepted at the age of 18 in 3 of the most important young orchestras in the world, the European Union Youth Orchestra, Gustav Mahler Jugendorchester and Schleswig-Holstein Festival Orchestra. Later on, was invited to play with different orchestras in Europe and around the wolrd and has shared the stage with many prestigious soloists, such as Vilde Frang, Mischa Maisky, Fazil Say, Vladimir Ashkenazy and many more.
The young clarinetist, born in 1995, started his musical studies at the age of 8. In 2007 he went to the Academia de Música Valentim Moreira de Sá, in Guimarães, where he studied until 2013 with Vitor Matos. After that, Pires moved to Basel, where he studied with François Benda at the Hochschule für Musik der Stadt Basel, finishing his Master Performance-Solist with the highest distinction (6 point out of 6) in 2018.

Since 2016, he is a Henry Selmer Artist (Playing a Set of Recital Clarinets) and Silverstein Works Artist (Playing on Cryo 4 Ligature). Sérgio Pires is a scholar of the Mozartgesellschaft Dortmund (Germany).

less

Kosuke Akimoto (piano)

Kosuke Akimoto was born in 1993 at Hyogo, Japan and graduated from Tokyo University of the Arts. He is a member of the Aoi Trio, which won the first prize at the prestigious 67th ARD International music competition in Munich, 2018. In addition, he won the second prize at the International Rosario Marciano piano competition in 2010, the Special prize at the International Paderewski piano competition in 2016. Akimoto has performed in many cities around the world including Tokyo, Munich, Bayreuth, Baden-Baden, Cologne, Vienna, Warsaw, Seoul, Singapore and more. He has received musical inspirations and guidance from Hiroko Ogata, Masahi Katayama, Akira Aoi, Hiroshi Arimori and Dirk Mommertz. Since April 2019, he is based in Germany and Japan, and currently studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

In addition, he won the second prize at the International Rosario Marciano piano competition in 2010, the Special prize at the International Paderewski piano competition in 2016. Akimoto has performed in many cities around the world including Tokyo, Munich, Bayreuth, Baden-Baden, Cologne, Vienna, Warsaw, Seoul, Singapore and more.

He has received musical inspirations and guidance from Hiroko Ogata, Masahi Katayama, Akira Aoi, Hiroshi Arimori and Dirk Mommertz. Since April 2019, he is based in Germany and Japan, and currently studies at the University of Music and Performing Arts Munich.

less

Composer(s)

Claude Debussy

Claude Debussy was a French composer. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with impressionist music, though Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed. Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of non-traditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant Among his most famous works are his Clair de Lune, his Three Nocturnes...

Claude Debussy was a French composer. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with impressionist music, though Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed.
Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent usage of non-traditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant Among his most famous works are his Clair de Lune, his Three Nocturnes and his orchestral piece La Mer.

less

Darius Milhaud

Darius Milhaud was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. Together with Francis Poulenc, he was a member of Les Six, also known as The Group of Six. This group of French composers from the 1920s aimed to clear music of the impressionism of Claude Debussy, and German influences such as the Romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Their motto was 'L'art pour l'art': they composed music for the sake of music, without any 'meaning' or extramusical intents. Milhaud was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and Brazilian music and make extensive use of polytonality. Milhaud is considered one of the key modernist composers.

Darius Milhaud was a French composer, conductor, and teacher. Together with Francis Poulenc, he was a member of Les Six, also known as The Group of Six. This group of French composers from the 1920s aimed to clear music of the impressionism of Claude Debussy, and German influences such as the Romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Their motto was "L'art pour l'art": they composed music for the sake of music, without any 'meaning' or extramusical intents. Milhaud was one of the most prolific composers of the 20th century. His compositions are influenced by jazz and Brazilian music and make extensive use of polytonality. Milhaud is considered one of the key modernist composers.

less

Arthur Honegger

Arthur Honegger was part of the Group des Six: an informal group of composer founded by Jean Cocteau, even though the individual members (of which Honegger, Milhaud and Poulenc were the most important) had little in common with each other. One of Honegger's best known works is modern-mechanic Pacific 231, in which the dynamics of an accelerating locomotive are depicted. A more personally engaged work is his Third Symphony, which bears the nickname Liturgique. With this work, Honegger wished to show his aversion against the modern, mechanised world. One of his most impressive works, however, is his Une Cantate de Noël, in which a potpourri of christmas carols breaks through the darkness.

Arthur Honegger was part of the Group des Six: an informal group of composer founded by Jean Cocteau, even though the individual members (of which Honegger, Milhaud and Poulenc were the most important) had little in common with each other. One of Honegger's best known works is modern-mechanic Pacific 231, in which the dynamics of an accelerating locomotive are depicted. A more personally engaged work is his Third Symphony, which bears the nickname Liturgique. With this work, Honegger wished to show his aversion against the modern, mechanised world. One of his most impressive works, however, is his Une Cantate de Noël, in which a potpourri of christmas carols breaks through the darkness.

less

Camille Saint-Saëns

Camille Saint-Saëns was a French composer, conductor, pianist and organist. He was a musical prodigy, writing his first pieces of music at the age of four and making his concert debut at the age of ten. During this concert he astonished the audience by playing one of the 32 piano sonatas of Beethoven at its request. After his studying at the Conservatory of Paris he followed a career as a church organist at Saint-Merri and later La Madeleine in Paris. He was also a successful freelance composer and pianist in France and abroad.
Saint-Saëns initially helped to introduce German composers such as Robert Schumann and Richard Wagner in France. However, from 1870 onwards anti-German sentiments began to arise in France as a result of the Franco-Prussian War, which enhanced support for the idea of a pro-French musical society. In 1871 Saint-Saëns consequently founded the Société Nationale de Musique together with Romain Bussine, that was devoted to the promotion of French music and organised concerts on which young composers could perform their works.
Saint-Saëns was a keen traveler, and made 179 trips to 27 different countries during his life. He favoured Algeria and Egypt, were he gained inspiration for compositions such as the Suite Algérienne and the Fifth Piano Concerto, also known as The Egyptian.
Saint-Saëns' best-known works include the First Cello Concerto, Third Symphony, the opera Samson et Dalila, Danse Macabre and Le carnaval des animaux, a humorous suite in which various animals are musically portrayed. However, he never wanted the last work to be performed, since it was contrary to his image as a serious composer.

less

Jean Françaix

Francis Poulenc

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and pianist. Poulenc's wealthy family intended him for a business career in the Rhone Poulenc family company and did not allow him to enrol at a music college. Largely self-educated musically, he studied with the pianist Ricardo Viñes, who became his mentor after the composer's parents died. Poulenc soon came under the influence of Erik Satie, under whose tutelage he became one of a group of young composers known collectively as Les Six. This group of French composers from the 1920s aimed to clear music of the impressionism of Claude Debussy, and German influences such as the Romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Their motto was 'L'art pour l'art': they composed music for the sake of...

Francis Jean Marcel Poulenc was a French composer and pianist. Poulenc's wealthy family intended him for a business career in the Rhone Poulenc family company and did not allow him to enrol at a music college. Largely self-educated musically, he studied with the pianist Ricardo Viñes, who became his mentor after the composer's parents died. Poulenc soon came under the influence of Erik Satie, under whose tutelage he became one of a group of young composers known collectively as Les Six. This group of French composers from the 1920s aimed to clear music of the impressionism of Claude Debussy, and German influences such as the Romanticism of Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Their motto was "L'art pour l'art": they composed music for the sake of music, without any 'meaning' or extramusical intents. In his early works Poulenc became known for his high spirits and irreverence. During the 1930s a much more serious side to his nature emerged, particularly in the religious music he composed from 1936 onwards, which he alternated with his more light-hearted works.

less

Press

Pires is brilliant in the fast movements, very lyrical and expressive in the slow ones. In interaction with the highly sensitive acting Akimoto, he manages to create very moving moments. His clarinet sound is beautiful, round and smooth.
Pizzicato, 04-2-2022