Cristian Macelaru / Orchestre National de France - Barraine, Elsa : Symphonies Nos.1, 2, Song-Koi, Les Tziganes - Import CD

Credits:

Cristian Macelaru

Description:

The composer Balene lived through a time of oppression. His burning spirit and noble music are revived here. Elsa Balene (1910-1999) was a remarkable and politically daring figure in her own lifetime, a composer whose unique compositional language has been revisited in recent years. A student of Paul Ducasse at the Paris Conservatory and a fellow student of Olivier Messiaen, she won the highly prestigious Prix de Rome for her cantata on Jeanne d'Arc at the age of only 19.During his long career, he held key positions in French music and held a professorship for more than 20 years, but he was also a composer with strong left-wing convictions and played an important role in the resistance during the occupation during World War II. This album features four works by Balène under the direction of Christian Macheral, music director of the Orchestre National de France.The "Symphony No. 1," completed in Italy in 1931; the tight but robust "Symphony No. 2," composed in 1938 and subtitled ominously in French "Voina," Russian for "War"; the "Red River," written in 1945 - the year Vietnam declared its independence from France - and in eight movements, flowing through Vietnam; and the "Tzigane," dating back to 1959 - perhaps the year the radio program "The Red River" was broadcast. The Red River", written in 1945 - the year Vietnam declared its independence from France - and in eight movements, depicts the Red River flowing through Vietnam, and "Tzigane", dating back to 1959 - probably written for a radio program, and named after the name. The "Tzigane" was written in 1959, probably for a radio program, and as the name suggests, inspired by Gypsy culture.While rooted in tonality, Barlaine's music is characterized by a confident, neat construction and a clear yet delicately colored orchestral sound that reflects the ideological and spiritual concerns of the times and the composer himself. During World War II, Balaine's resistance activities were organized by the Musicians' National Front, which she founded with conductor Roger Desormier and composer Louis Duret, an organization tied to the French Communist Party. Even more dangerous for her activities was the fact that her father was Jewish. Several of her works deal with Jewish themes, notably the symphonic poem "Pogroms," composed in 1933 and inspired by the poetry of André Speer.In 1941, her father Matheu was forced out of his position as principal cellist of the Paris Opera Orchestra, and he died two years later. Toward the end of the war, Balene, who was often on the verge of arrest for her resistance activities, took the step of living under the pseudonym Catherine Bonnard. During the post-liberation period, Balene received great acclaim. After the war, she received numerous commissions for concert halls, theaters, films, and radio broadcasts, including "The Red River," which was premiered to great acclaim in London by the BBC Symphony Orchestra. One such commission was "The Red River," which was premiered by the Orchestre National de Radio France, the predecessor of today's Orchestre National de France, under the baton of Manuel Rosantal. Warner Music Japan