|
Robert Cohen has created fascinating and stimulating projects for different festivals:
'Les
Six
"
for the City of London Festival - a 6 day 9 event exploration including concerts
and film.
Robert Cohen reveals the music,
poetry, letters, songs and paintings generated in the vibrant Paris scene by
these enigmatic characters.
'Turning
Points
'
for the Bath International Music Festival
A five concert series illustrating music
at the turn of the centuries and the extraordinary music of the war years.
'LES
SIX'
for the City of London Festival
After decades as the capital of European culture, Paris in the 1920s could still
lay claim to the title. Artists, musicians and poets gathered in friendship and
produced some extraordinary outbursts of artistic achievement.
In this confident cultural milieu appeared half-a-dozen young composer's who
would seal France's reputation as a musical Mecca. The group of highly individual
talents - Georges Auric, Louis Durey, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Francis
Poulenc and Germaine Tailleferre - became known worldwide as "Les Six".
Together with the writer, film-maker and designer Jean Cocteau they transformed
the aesthetics of their age and had a lasting historical impact on the arts.
In a programme of concerts given by distinguished artists, Robert reveals the
music, poetry, letters, songs and paintings generated in the vibrant Paris scene
by these enigmatic characters. To complement this programme of concerts, Barbican
Screen shows a number of films on which 'Les Six' composers collaborated. The
first film will be introduced by Robert on Saturday 24th June.
Day
1
Lecture
with Robert Cohen
at 6pm
Robert Cohen, director of 'Les Six' project, will introduce the enigmatic character
of each composer and reveal their influences and inspirations, recreating an
exciting period that was 1920's Paris.
Concert
1
at 7.30pm
In words and music, this concert introduces
each of Les Six
Honegger Piano Trio 1914
Milhaud Elegie for cello & piano 1945
Tailleferre Sonata no.1 for violin & piano 1924
-- Interval --
Auric 'Adieu New York' for solo piano 1921
Durey Duos for violin and cello 1964
Poulenc Sonata for flute & piano 1956
Concert
2
at 10.15pm (45')
Songs by Les Six and the poems that inspired them. The flavour of this "concert" will
be highly casual, and almost improvisatory - like the early impromptu concerts
held by 'Les Six'. All of them wrote songs, set by the influential poets of the
time.
DAY
2
Concert 3
at
6.15pm
Milhaud 'Le Boeuf sur le Toit' for violin & piano 1919
'Album des Six' for piano - 6 pieces, 1 by each composer 1919
Poulenc Sonata for cello & piano 1948
Concert
4
at 8pm
Poulenc Le Bestiare for baritone, strings, fl & cl 1919
Auric Aria for flute & piano Auric Imaginée I for flute & piano 1969
Auric Imaginée III for clarinet & piano 1971
Honegger Duo for violin & cello 1932
-- Interval --
Durey Images a Crusoe - baritone, strings, celeste, fl, & cl 1922
Milhaud Sonata for viola & piano no.2 1944
Tailleferre Piano Trio 1978
DAY
3
Concert 5
at
7.30pm
Milhaud String Quartet no.4 1919
Poulenc Rhapsodie Negre for baritone, piano, strings, fl & cl 1919
Honegger Cello Sonata 1920
-- Interval --
Tailleferre String Quartet 1919
Durey Trio Serenade for violin, viola & cello 1956
Auric Sonata for violin & piano 1936
Concert
6
at 10.15pm
The venue will evoke a 1920's chic Parisian night-club. The mood will be extremely
laid-back, impromptu - a snap shot of the Parisianscene that these young composers
were steeped in.
Honegger Sonatine for 2 violins 1920
Honegger Paduana for cello & piano 1945
Tailleferre Sonatine for violin & piano 1973
Durey Carillons & Neige for piano 4 hands 1918
Poulenc Eiffel Tower Polka (arrangement tbc) 1' Auric Imaginées II for cello & piano
1970
Songs by Les Six details tbc Satie Parade (version for 2 pianos) 1917
The artists:
Baritone: François Le
Roux
Pianists: Elizabeth Burley,
François-Frédéric Guy and Graham Johnson
Violinists: Chantal Juillet
and Peter Manning
Violist: Gérard Caussé
Cellist: Robert Cohen
Flutist: Patrick Gallois
Clarinettist:
Michael Collins
Barbican
Screen Paris sur Scène - Les Six et le Cinéma
'Les Six' composers worked with renowned film makers such as René Clair and Jean
Cocteau. The following programme concentrates primarily on the work of Georges
Auric, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc.
Focussing on their involvement in the world of film, Robert Cohen continues his
presentation of 'Les Six' with a brief introduction to launch the film series.
DAY
4
Double bill
at the Barbican
Cinema
ENTR'ACTE
We set the scene of Paris in the 1920s with René Clair's revelation of the magic
of cinema, which features Les Six composers Georges Auric and Darius Milhaud
alongside a host of Parisian intellectuals, including artists Marcel Duchamps
and Man Ray, and fellow composer Eric Satie. The film experiments with the medium,
running forward and in reverse, single framed, under-cranked, and at high speed,
with super-imposed images and frantic editing. "A charming and challenging
vision of Paris as a world of the imagination and the Dadaist intellectual conceit." (Lucy
Fischer) 1924 Dir. René Clair 23 min.
CHEZ
POULENC: AN EVENING WITH FRANCIS POULENC
Barrie Gavin's beguiling portrait of Francis Poulenc explores the composer's
involvement with Les Six, the influence of Stravinsky on his work, and the effects
of the rediscovery of his Catholic faith in later life. Our guide through Poulenc's
world is the composer Heinz Karl Gruber, and the film features interviews with
Poulenc's contemporary Henri Sauguet and Madeleine Milhaud. 1990 Dir. Barrie
Gavin 55 min.
MADAME
BOVARY
Darius Milhaud composed a dramatic, sympathetic score for Jean Renoir's 1933
adaptation of Flaubert's famous novel. In a small provincial town the spirited
and beautiful Emma Bovary marries a dull country doctor, and after a period of
increasing restlessness, becomes an easy target for a ruthless philanderer. Valentine
Tessier stars as the heroine who rejects convention and moral codes, only to
find tragedy paving her way. 1933 Dir. Jean Renoir 101 min.
DAY
5
PYGMALION
Arthur Honegger wrote the epic score for Abel Gance's Napoleon in 1927, and continued
to work in the cinema during the 1930s. One of the highlights of his film music
is Anthony Asquith's British adaptation of George Bernard Shaw's Pygmalion, with
Leslie Howard as Professor Henry Higgins and the wonderful Wendy Hiller as Eliza
Doolittle. With flawless performances, it emerged as a perfect film in every
sense. 1938 Dir. Anthony Asquith & Leslie Howard 95 min.
DAY
6
LA
BELLE ET LA BÈTE (Beauty and the Beast)
Georges Auric was the most prolific of 'Les Six' in terms of film work, and his
gorgeous score crowns Jean Cocteau's magical, achingly beautiful fantasy. Beauty
gives herself to the Beast to save her father, and falls in love. Auric's music
enriches an enchanting, beguiling fable and one of the masterpieces of world
cinema. France 1946 Dir.Jean Cocteau 93 min.
top >>
Bath
International Music Festival
International Artists'
in Residence Series 2000
'Turning Points'
Created and lead by Robert Cohen
A five concert series illustrating music at the turn of the centuries and the
extraordinary music of the war years.
Chamber music and songs from Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven, through Dvorak, Brahms
and Arensky, to Bridge, Ravel, Elgar and Messiaen.
Robert Cohen's guests:
Pianists : Giovanni Bellucci and Boris Berezovsky
Violinists : Leonidas Kavakos, Isabelle van Keulen and Bradley Creswick
Violist : Kim Kashkashian
Cellist : Caroline Dearnley
Clarinettist : Michael Collins
Soprano : Mary Plazas
Day 1 Late night concert
Introduction to the series
A selection of solo and chamber virtuoso pieces and songs to illustrate the series, including:
Dohnanyi Serenade for string Trio
Fauré Pieces
Day 2 Evening concert
Turning to 1800
Haydn Piano Trio in E XV28
Beethoven Sonata for cello & piano no.1 in F op.5 no.1
Mozart Songs: 'Sehnsucht nach dem Frühlinge'
‘Komm, lieber Mai’
'Im Frühlingsanfange'
'Das Kinderspiel'
'Eine kleine deutche Kantate'
‘Die ihr des unermesslichen Weltalls’
-- Interval --
Mozart Clarinet Quintet
Day 2 Late night concert
The War Years
Messiaen Quartet for the end of time
Day 3 Evening concert
Turning to 1900
Arensky Quartet for violin, viola, 2 cellos
Brahms Clarinet Trio
-- Interval --
Dvorak Piano Quintet in A op 81
Day 4 Evening concert
The War Years part 2
Bridge Sonata for cello and piano
Ravel Piano trio
-- Interval --
Elgar Piano Quintet
top >>
|
|
|
; "robertcohen36_thumb")
; "robertcohen27_thumb")