Information
Composer: Théodore Dubois
- Piano Quartet in A minor
- Piano Quintet in F major
Trio Hochelaga
Anne Robert, violin
Paul Marleyn, cello
Stéphane Lemelin, piano
Jean-Luc Plourde, viola
Philippe Magnan, oboe
Date: 2006
Label: ATMA Classique
-----------------------------------------------------------
Théodore Dubois was a prominent French composer, organist, theorist, and teacher in the mid- to late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, but he is perhaps better remembered for a monumental deficit in judgment than for his music itself. He was a staunch conservative, and as director of the Paris Conservatoire, he refused to award the Prix to Rome to Maurice Ravel in 1905; the outpouring of consternation among the public and among musicians led him to resign his position. Dubois had won the Prix de Rome as a young man and had the beginnings of a successful career in composition, but his music never caught fire in the popular imagination, and his dismissal of impressionism doomed his later work to be considered stodgy and old-fashioned. Dubois wrote with facility and had a gift for melody and traditionally Germanic thematic development. There is little in his chamber music that would make it immediately recognizable as the work of a French composer; in fact, his music sounds almost Brahmsian, but without Brahms' gift for harmonic variety and inventiveness. The two works presented here --a piano quartet and his Quintet for piano, violin, oboe, viola, and cello -- are attractive pieces that are welcome additions for ensembles that don't have a huge repertoire. They are full of Romantic expressivity and drama, and have an appealing and sometimes soaring lyricism. Canadian Trio Hochelaga, joined by violist Jean-Luc Plourde and oboist Philippe Magnan in technically assured and emotionally charged performances, makes a strong case for taking a second look at Dubois. Atma's sound is clean, warm, and vibrant.
-- Stephen Eddins, AllMusic
-----------------------------------------------------------
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.
***
Active since 2000, the Hochelaga Trio has distinguished itself as one of the dominant chamber music ensembles in Quebec and Canada. The name "Hochelaga", which the Montreal trio bears, means "beaver dam" in the Iroquois language. The Hochelaga Trio is dedicated to the repertoire of chamber music for trio, ranging from the classical era to today's music, especially the romantic and post-romantic periods. The Trio performs regularly in Canada and on international stages, with numerous recordings cover a repertoire ranging from Arensky to little-known French composers from the early 20th century.
-----------------------------------------------------------
FLAC, tracks
Links in comment
Enjoy!
