#guyenne

Romanesque church in Chalais, Guyenne region of France

Une longue série sur la bouffe. On passe aux viandes :

Valenciennes ''Nord), Resto "Place des Oliviers" - poulet chorizo

Pau, mon plat : courgettes au curry, patates douces, riz

Libourne - ris de veau

Bousbecque : ma cousine Brigitte et son chapon de pintade

Bordeaux, "Chez les Ploucs" avec Isabelle - croustilles de porc

Tailleferre - Fleurs de France (1930)

This lovely suite is full of open and colorful harmonies where each piece is a short painting of a different type of flower. Each flower and region is also given its own character. The opening, jasmines from Provence, has a kind of arabesque flow to it, maybe a nod to the Mediterranean. The Guyenne poppy is upbeat like a child's song. The Anjou rose, is a little more austere than Romantic, maybe here leaning more into the Medieval side of the region. The sunflower of Languedoc is another coastal picture with a hint of Spain and sounding like street fair music. Roussillon chamomille sounds like a carefree lullaby. Haute-Provence lavender has the same pastoral writing that came up in the jasmine movement near the same region. The next flower, "Volubilis de Béarn", isn't from Béarn at all. It's from the Latin American tropics. I'm guessing that they'd been imported to France since colonial days, but even with the 'exotic' touch this piece is more tame. The last piece sounds much better in French (a "bleuet" is a cornflower), and is also a symbol for veterans and war survivors. Overall the suite is pretty light and charming but I do love the kind of impressionist drawings of associations between places and objects and music.

Movements:

1. Jasmin de Provence

2. Couquelicot de Guyenne

3. Rose d'Anjou

4. Tournesol du Languedoc

5. Anthémis du Roussillon

6. Lavandin de Haute-Provence

7. Volubilis de Béarn

Château des Talleyrand in Chalais, Guyenne region of France