de Fantastische Tijdreis Van Margot en Marguerite

The history of Brahms' Op. 34 is quite remarkable. The piece was originally composed in 1863 for a string quintet with two cellos. However, after a few rehearsals and a disappointing private concert, he decided to rework it as a sonata for two pianos…

The goal of this recording is to celebrate French music through its past: its antique dances, its pastoral ambiences, its atmospheres of legend… starting with a homage to François Couperin. Often considered as the very quintessence of French musical art, this very great composer and harpsichordist succeeded in charming musicians from all times and places, even far removed from his personal universe. We know, for example, that Brahms held him in high esteem. Nearer to our own time, Hendrik Andriessen (1982-1981) – a major figure in Dutch music – borrowed a lovely melody from our composer (from La Basque, in the Second Book of Harpsichord Pieces), as the theme for a set of variations composed in 1944. Led by a tender and agile flute, accompanied by a harp and strings, the work discreetly evokes the rhythms of the antique dances (the Sicilienne, the Chaconne, the Gavotte…) and also contains a ‘scholastic’ fugato; other more lyrical or meditative moments confer an intensity and even a nobility of expression on these charming ‘concert variations’ that make one regret the little reaction that Andriessen's music has suscitated outside of his own country.

Témoignages d'Indochinois qui furent envoyés en France à partir de 1939 pour travailler comme ouvriers au sein des usines d'armement. Vingt mille hommes auraient été ainsi recrutés de force et répartis sur toute la France dans les entreprises relevant de la Défense nationale. Aucun salaire réel ne leur aurait été versé et ils auraient été renvoyés peu à peu dans leur pays à partir de 1946. …

C'est en prison, provoqué par des camarades de cellule qui s'essayaient à imaginer de médiocres pièces sentimentales, que Genet rédigea les strophes du Condamné à mort et la dédicace en prose à Maurice Pilorge. En prison aussi qu'il écrivit Marche funèbre, La galère, La parade. Autant de poèmes qui sont comme des ex-votos ou comme des bouteilles à la mer. …

Un outil pour mettre en place des tableaux de bord destinés à piloter et mesurer la performance. …