June 26, 2015

  • Ibert: Two Ballets

    Ibert: Le Chevalier errant; Les Amours de Jupiter
    Lorraine National Orchestra/Jacques Mercier
    Timpani 1C1230
    Total Time:  57:35
    Recording:   ****/****
    Performance: ****/****

    The music of Jacques Ibert (1890-1962) tends to fall within the post-Impressionist modernism.  Associated mostly with the group Les Six, his musis is always a blend of fresh, crisp orchestration, interesting melodies, and a more modal harmonic palette.  This tends to lend his music a lightness at times, even in some of the more serious works.  His pieces tend to be filled with an infectious rhythmic vitality as well.  Today he is perhaps best remembered for a couple of these shorter suites, Escales  and the Divertissement.  The present recording brings to disc two premieres of lesser known ballets from the middle part of Ibert’s life.

    The first of these, Le Chevalier errant, was commissioned by Ida Rubinstein.  It was Rubinstein who rose to prominence in the 1920s and is responsible for inspiring many great works, the most memorable perhaps being Ravel’s Bolero.  Ibert had composed his first ballet, Diane de Poiters, for her in 1933.  The success of this work led to the opening work on this release.  Originally planned to be presented in the 1937-38 season along with new ballets by Milhaud and Honegger, the work never saw the light of day.  The notes here state it may have had a single broadcast performance in 1940, but it did not appear in concert until the Paris Opera presented it in 1950.  The version recorded here omits choral and dialogue sections in Ibert’s concert version put together in 1935.  About 15 minutes of music is thus not used in this suite of sorts.  There are four movements taken essentially from the four tableaux.

    The first “Les Moulins” opens with a great set of dissonance and the music that follows bears a close resemblance to some of Ibert’s film music of the period (Golgotha; he had also provided a score for a film on this same subject by Georg Pabst in 1933).  The rhythmic syncopations of this section have a somewhat Spanish feel as the piece begins to take off and sets the stage well for the appearance of Don Quixote.  A real highlight is the “Danse des galeriens”.  The music here moves excellently along with some exciting brass work adding to the big moments and a brilliant finale.  There are moments of this piece that are reminiscent of Roussel’s style at this time.  More touching is the writing for the third tableau, “L’age d’or”, with lyrical saxophone providing a sensual melody in this romantic and seductive music (a style that actually suggests some of Alex North’s later music).  A series of wonderful folk-dance styles including a flamenco section appears followed by a more elegant three-four moment.  Things are wrapped up nicely with the return of an opening melody.  A final festive gallop and village dance brings everything back together, with the brief interjection of the sax for extra dramatic underpinning.  In all, this is a quite engaging work whose music communicates well and can be enjoyed easily on its own here.  The performance captures these ideas well with excellent solo work and shaping of Ibert’s melodic ideas.  Many times one thinks that maybe this is a long lost film score.  At any rate, it is a pleasant discovery with some of the composer’s most touching melodic writing that opens up into gorgeous moments.  The somewhat ambient hall may be a bit frustrating at times, but this is mostly noticeable in solo sections where it actually works quite well.  Otherwise the sound is not bad.

    Another of the great choreographers of the mid-20th Century, Roland Petit, was behind the creation of the second work on the album, Les Amours de Jupiter.  The piece was written in 1945 and premiered the following year.  Some will find Ibert’s advanced insertion of jazz elements a fascinating development that brings the piece alongside some of the work of Copland, and later Leonard Bernstein.  One can hear some of this already as the “Overture” unfolds here.  The ballet is then followed in five larger sections comprised of equally brief musical segments.  I suspect most American listeners will hear a more filmic narrative style in this music.  There are some unique touches that will stand out that are hallmarks of Ibert’s style, but this lends the music its unique charm.  Also interesting is the way this music feels more “international” taking its cues from a larger musical aesthetic than a merely “French” one.  The piece as it is will feel more closely aligned to the shorter orchestral suites, but the dramatic writing that is included here makes this equally worth exploring.

    This is a great addition to the Ibert discography with Jacques Mercier proving to be a fine interpreter of this music.  The Lorraine orchestra approaches this music with great energy and sound committed to bringing these pieces to life.  Easily recommendable to fans of Ibert’s work and mid-century orchestral writing.