Information
Composer: Théodore Dubois
- Ouverture de Frithiof
- Concerto pour piano No. 2
- Dixtuor
Vanessa Wagner, piano
Les Siècles
François-Xavier Roth, conductor
Date: 2012
Label: Musicales Actes Sud
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French composer, organist and teacher Théodore Dubois (1837-1924) is all but forgotten today, but based on this CD, his music might well be worth digging out. Bearing the unmistakable influence of Richard Wagner, his music fits in with the music of the disciples of Cesar Franck, such as Chausson, D’Indy, Duparc and Lekeu, among others.
François-Xavier Roth is inspiring with his period instruments group Les Siècles who perform this music like it’s second nature to them. Vanessa Wagner plays, with distinction, on an Érard concert piano from 1874. The overall sound of these period instruments in performance is not a whole lot different from the sound of modern instruments.
The piano concerto is reminiscent of the Saint-Saëns piano concertos. The Frithiof overture is sweeping and exciting in a typically Romantic era manner. Dixtuor is a double quintet for strings and winds and is more modern sounding, i.e. less Romantic, than the other two works here. Dixtuor is a French word meaning a composition for 10 instrumentalists.
The one drawback is Dubois’ style. There are sections of what sounds like a good melody that begins, only to be cut off while Dubois rambles around with what can charitably be called inconsequential note-spinning. He appears to have been a talented orchestrator. From that point of view, the music is interesting, but not memorable.
The recording, part of a series called Les Siècles Live, is a mighty effort worthy of praise. The fold out case has lots of printing on it, but little information about the music. There is a whole page devoted to the musicians and their instruments for each composition. English and French only.
The quibbles: there is no way to tell what the record label name is. Is it Les Siècles Live or Musicales Actes Sud? There is no catalog number on the painted CD label or on the fold-out cover for the CD. It does have a UPC number: 3 149028 017625 on the back of the cover.
Incidentally, the sound is gorgeous, clear and solid. Recommended, but be warned about the drawbacks mentioned. It could be that there is more here than meets the ear.
-- Zan Furtwangler, Audiophile Audition
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Théodore Dubois (24 August 1837 – 11 June 1924) was a French Romantic composer, organist, and music teacher. After study at the Paris Conservatoire, Dubois won France's premier musical prize, the Prix de Rome in 1861. He became an organist and choirmaster at several well-known churches in Paris, and at the same time was a professor in the Conservatoire. In 1896 he succeeded Ambroise Thomas as the Conservatoire's director. As a composer, Dubois was seen as capable and tasteful, but not strikingly original or inspired. His books on music theory were influential, and remained in use for many years.
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Vanessa Wagner (born 11 June 1973 in Rennes) is a French classical pianist. She was awarded First Prize at the Conservatoire de Paris at the age of 17. In 1999, she received the "instrumental solo revelation" Victoire de la Musique for Classical Music. Since then, she has performed all over the world, and her wide-ranging and award-winning discography includes music by Rameau, Haydn, Schumann, Schubert, Debussy, Ravel, and contemporary music. Wagner is also a regular guest of major venues and festivals, and is also invited to play with conductors such as Augustin Dumay, Jean Claude Casadessus, or François-Xavier Roth.
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François-Xavier Roth (born 6 November 1971) is a French conductor. He graduated from the Conservatoire de Paris, and has served as an assistant conductor to John Eliot Gardiner. In 2003, he founded Les Siècles, an orchestra which performs on instruments appropriate to the period of composition of each piece, from late Baroque and Classical to 20th century music. Roth was the last chief conductor of the SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg (2011–2016), and Generalmusikdirektor of the city of Cologne (2015–2024), which includes duties as Gürzenich-Kapellmeister and chief conductor of the Cologne Opera.
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