Dutilleux

Cellist Edgar Moreau, with the WDR Sinfonieorchester and conductor Andris Poga, performs two concertante works from the mid-20th century: Mieczysław Weinberg’s Concerto in C minor (1956), and Henri Dutilleux’s Tout un monde lointain … (1970). Both were premiered by the great Mstislav Rostropovich, which creates a special link with Moreau: in 2014 in Paris, he won the Young Soloist Prize in the Rostropovich Cello Competition.

French modern composer Henri. Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013), born in Angers, Maine-et-Loire, France, was active in the second half of the twentieth century. The work combines the styles of Ravel, Debussy and Albert Roussel, as well as the style of his own creation. In addition to being influenced by Impressionist music, he also used serialism and atonality to write.

The first-ever release on ECM of music by the doyen of French contemporary composition Henri Dutilleux (born 1916) features a comprehensive overview of his highly original piano pieces from his early period (around 1948) to the late eighties. They are played by American pianist Robert Levin, a personal friend of Dutilleux's, who gives performances of gripping energy and serene clarity.

A fiercely independent composer, Henri Dutilleux wrote music that is refined, colourful and scrupulously crafted. Symphony No. 1, his first purely orchestral score, established his international reputation. Structurally unconventional – it opens, unusually, with a passacaglia – it illustrates his principle of ‘progressive growth’ through its sustained lyricism and towering, chorale-like statements. Métaboles was inspired by the virtuosity of the woodwind section of George Szell’s Cleveland Orchestra. Distinctive instrumentation for each movement allows for deep expression, jazzy rhythms and moments of irony. The enigmatic diptych Les Citations quotes from fellow composers Benjamin Britten and Jehan Alain.

The three works that make up this highly attractive programme span a century: Franck’s Sonata in its officially sanctioned transcription for cello was taken from his popular Violin Sonata of 1886. It was composed as a wedding present for the violinist Ysaÿe. Dutilleux’s Trois Strophes sur le nom de Sacher was composed for Paul Sacher’s birthday and given its premiere by Rostropovich with the composer at the piano. Composition was spread over a decade, having started in 1976. Poulenc’s Cello Sonata was dedicated to Pierre Fournier and completed in 1948. Michael Petrov and Erden Misirlioğlu are members of the acclaimed Trio Isimsiz.

There is no need by now to introduce the Quatuor Hermès, which has become the most brilliant of the young generation of French quartets thanks to its solid track record of faultless yet never flashy performances.