Hahn:Divertissement [Ensemble Initium; Orchestre des Pays de Savoie, Nicolas Chalvin] [TIMPANI: 1C1231]

Description

Product Description Reynaldo Hahn is not just the composer of little salon pieces for piano or voice. Having made a big re-turn with his great keyboard cycles (Le Rossignol éperdu, by Billy Eidi Timpani 2C2229), his operas (Le Marchand de Venise), here he is again with a disc for ensemble music, chamber orchestra even (Concerto provençal). The disc as a whole could well be called 'For a summer's evening in the Midi' for the music positively exudes the sultriness of an evening beneath the pine trees or in the olive groves, where Venetian masks come and dance by the light of the Chinese lanternsIf Le Bal de Béatrice d'Este has been honoured on disc (notably in a recording conducted by the composer), the Concerto provençal (4 woodwind soloists and string orchestra) was but a fleeting memory on account of some pretty rough 78s. So this now is in effect a major rediscovery! The Divertissement pour une fête de nuit, with its pastiches, notably of waltzes, is a fantastic world premiere recording. As for the Sérénade for wind quartet it receives now its world premiere, played from the manuscript of the score kindly made available to us. This project, focussed mainly on wind instruments, has been made possible only by bringing together two ensembles attached to Timpani that have received particular praise from the press: Initium (4 CDs: Caplet, Ibert, Onslow, Koechlin) and the Orchestre des Pays de Savoie (CD Le Flem), conducted by the excellent Nicolas Chalvin to whom we are grateful for discs of music by Pierné, Saint-Saëns and Le Flem. Review A playful fondness for allusion and formal experimentation is very much in evidence. A fine achievement overall, sensuous and elegant in equal measure. Very enjoyable. --Gramophone, Sept'15There's a good deal of pastiche in these lightweight pieces for small orchestral or chamber ensemble, recorded in performances that accentuate their charm. ***** --BBC Music Magazine,Dec '15