Le's Knit

August 2022; appearing here in the much maligned "199.X" serié is this two-fer single-disc compiles both LPs released on the Swiss "Les Disques De L'Art Gué" label in the mid-80s, collecting the work of a tight-knit cadré of musicians working on & around each other: Victor "Fizzè" de Bros, Gilles-Vincent "Dizzi" Rieder, Laurent "Lorenz" Viennet, & Serge "Djodjo" Baudat, all working out of the former's Mensch studio.

Neeme Järvi and the OSR continue their exploration of French orchestral music with this fourth album: a merry collection from the best of the vigorously ebullient music of Jacques Ibert. Among the numerous winners of the famous Prix de Rome between its institution by Napoleon in 1803 and its abandonment in 1968, the twentieth century provides us with repertoire works from only one composer: Jacques Ibert, whose characteristically clear orchestration is emphasised by strong melodic lines and supported by lively ostinato patterns in the bass. At the same time, the album reveals what an eclectic composer Ibert was. The contrast between his two best-known pieces is a perfect example: Divertissement, for small orchestra, is light-hearted, even frivolous; Escales…, on the other hand, is a ripely romantic work for large orchestra.