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Centenary of Jean Françaix

Apr. 30, 2012

Centenary of Jean Françaix

Jean Françaix’ declared motto of always aiming to create "musique pour faire plaisir (music to please)" partially conceals the great variability and frequent inscrutability of the music created by this composer, born in Le Mans in 1912.  Françaix succeeded in finding and consolidating his own style at an early stage and became known almost overnight with his austere Concertino for piano and orchestra dating from 1932. According to the critic Heinrich Strobel, this work communicated the impression of “fresh water gushing forth from the source with elegant originality of all natural elements-and at the same time appears as the creation of an artist with a clarity and awareness seldom observed in our time.”

Françaix composed the oratorio L’Apocalypse Selon St. Jean during a dark period in history. The work received its first performance during the German occupation of France at a time during which any attempts at resistance or future perspective were largely absent. This is the composer’s most significant work in its dimensions, scoring and aesthetic quality. Gravity and contemplation became recurring characteristics observed in subsequent concert works of Jean Françaix until the end of his life, particularly in compositions commemorating deceased artists, such as the orchestral work Les zigues de Mars dating from 1950 in memory of the author Georges Courteline, the Symphonie en sol majeur in memory of Joseph Haydn composed in 1953, the Pavane marking the 50th anniversary of the death of Maurice Ravel and the Élégie commemorating the 200th anniversary of the death of Mozart.

North American celebrations of Jean Françaix include Montreal’s Ensemble Pentaedre performances of L’heure du berger and Sept Danses on May 6 at the Montreal Conservatory of Music.

Learn more on the life and music of Jean Françaix by visiting www.schott-music.com.

Jean Françaix
Concertino (1932)
for piano and orchestra
2.2.2.2-2.2 .2 .0-str
12’

L'Apocalypse selon St. Jean (1939)
Oratorio fantastique en trois parties
for four singers (soprano, contralto, tenor, bass) mixed chorus and two orchestras
2.2.0.0-4.3.3.1-2perc(2 Spieler)-2hp.org-str
pic.0.0.2.bcl.asax.tsax.bsax.2.Sarrusophon-0.1.1.0-3perc-gtr.mand.acc.harm.str
63’

L'heure du berger (1947)
“Musique de brasserie”
for flute, oboe, clarinete (in B flat), bassoon, horn and piano
9’ 

Sept Danses (1971)
after the ballet "Les malheurs de Sophie" for 10 wind instruments
2 flutes, 2 oboes, 2 clarinets in Bb, 2 horns in F and 2 bassoons
10’

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