#les siecles

Carl Craig – The Melody (feat. Francesco Tristano, Les Siècles & François-Xavier Roth)

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/track/6myqY05kuMAR5KE8oH54hx

AppleMusic: https://itunes.apple.com/de/album/melody-feat-francesco-tristano-les-si%C3%A8cles-fran%C3%A7ois/1215394929?i=1215395703&l=en

The Album: Ravel - Daphnis & Chloé.

In my opinion, the HIP movement (Historically Informed Performance) has done a lot of good for classical music and contemporary performance practice. That used to be quite a controversial thing to say, but today even the most ardent opponents have to concede defeat. A quick look through the programs of concert houses, festivals, and of course recordings being released, show that HIP is today an integral part of the classical music world. For young performers it is nowadays a natural thing to learn how to play both modern and historical instruments, as it indeed is for singers to learn HIP techniques alongside modern ones. (That being said, it is important to underline that embracing HIP does not mean that modern orchestras and ensembles should stop playing older music on modern instruments. There is no contradiction in doing both).

One aspect of HIP practises that might be surprising for many, is that it can lead to revelations even with 20th century music. We sometimes tend to forget that before WWII, orchestras around the world looked different compared with today. A majority still used gut strings for all string instruments and there were much greater variations in the musicians’ techniques and the instruments they used. Today a vast majority of all instruments are made by only a few makers and to the same specifications. That did not use to be the case. For example, a French orchestra would in the early 20th century be equipped with wind instruments that were exclusively made in France. Often sounding quite different from German, Russian or Italian instruments.

In my view the Paris based orchestra Les Siècles is one of the most interesting in the world today. Under their brilliant founder and conductor, François-Xavier Roth, they have explored music from the late 19th and early 20th century played on period instruments. They have specialised in French repertoire or music that was premiered in France. During their existence they have gathered an impressive collection of French made instruments and also studied performance practise from the period.

Perhaps the most interesting part of Les Siècles catalogue are their recordings of music composed for the Ballet Russes in Paris. If anyone should doubt that it would sound different with period instruments in this repertoire I would encourage you to listen to their magnificent recording of Stravinsky’s ‘Sacre du Printemps’. Just hearing the famous bassoon solo in the introduction being played on a French bassoon will make it immediately clear that there is a substantial difference in sound.

Just like their recordings of Stravinsky’s ballets for the Ballet Russes, their latest recording is a triumph. Here they tackle Ravel’s masterpiece ‘Daphnis et Chloé’. The sound is marvelous, I’ve never heard the details of the orchestra as clear and vivid as on this recording. But of course the sound of the period instruments would not be enough unless it was combined with an exciting interpretation. During the last decade or so Roth has risen to a position of one of the most interesting conductors around, regardless if he conducts HIP orchestras like Les Siècles or traditional orchestras. And his ‘Daphnis’ is masterful. He deals with the tricky time signatures without any problems, he masters the sensuous passages that are such a critical part of Ravel’s ballet, and he can also whip up a storm when needed, such as in the ‘Dance guerrière’. Roth has choosen to include the wordless chorus (which Ravel marked as optional). Ensemble Aedes sings very well and this is perhaps the first time I’ve heard the choir used to such positive effect in ‘Daphnis’. Often it just muddles the textures, but not so here.