Various Composers - L'Album des Six (Emily Beynon; Andrew West)

Information

1. Poulenc - Sonata for flute and piano: 1. Allegretto malincolico
2. Poulenc - Sonata for flute and piano: 2. Cantilena: Assez lent
3. Poulenc - Sonata for flute and piano: 3. Presto giocoso
4. Auric - Aria
5. Tailleferre - Pastorale
6. Auric - Imaginées 1
7. Auric - Prélude
8. Durey - Romance sans paroles, Op. 21
9. Honegger - Sarabande
10. Milhaud - Mazurka
11. Poulenc - Valse
12. Tailleferre - Pastorale
13. Durey - Sonatine, Op. 25: 1. Nonchalant
14. Durey - Sonatine, Op. 25: 2. Lent et soutenu
15. Durey - Sonatine, Op. 25: 3. Assez anime
16. Honegger - Danse de la chèvre
17. Honegger - Romance
18. Tailleferre - Forlane
19. Durey - Deux Dialogues, Op. 114: 1. Modéré
20. Durey - Deux Dialogues, Op. 114: 2. Animé
21. Milhaud - Sonatine, Op. 76: 1. Tendre
22. Milhaud - Sonatine, Op. 76: 2. Souple
23. Milhaud - Sonatine, Op. 76: 3. Clair

Emily Beynon, flute

Andrew West, piano

Date: 2000

Label: Hyperion

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Review

The composers of Les Six are really very different in character, at least as far as their mature personalities are concerned. However, there was a brief period in the Paris of the post-First World War period when they came together under the influence of Jean Cocteau, and the name attributed to them as a group of talented young composers has proved to be obstinately memorable.

In that sense the programme collected here is appropriately cohesive, featuring their collected works for flute and piano. But what does that mean? The answer is simple. It means, duos and solos for both instruments, and music that dates from that special brief period. Therefore the music has a unity which is intensified by the subtle individualities which were already emerging.

It is particularly interesting to have the chance to hear music by the less famous members of the group: Louis Durey, Germaine Tailleferre and Georges Auric. The others -Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud and Francis Poulenc - are altogether better known and established themselves as major figures in 20th century music.

And there are some real gems here; not great masterpieces but delightful flights of musical elegance and wit. Ironically the longest piece in the collection is by Durey: his Sonatine. But it is the shorter items which are generally the most pleasing. Honegger's charming Romance and Danse de la chèvre, Tailleferre's Forlane and Pastorale.

To get the most out of this disc it is probably wiser to hear a few items separately rather than to sit through the whole programme. That is not a criticism, merely an observation about the nature of the music. For with artistry of the highest order from Emily Beynon and Andrew West, plus excellent recorded sound, this disc is highly recommended.

-- Terry Barfoot

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Les Six is a name given to a group of six composers, including Darius Milhaud, Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Georges Auric, Louis Durey and Germaine Tailleferre. The French critic Henri Collet originated the label Les Six in his article “The Russian Five, the French Six, and M. Erik Satie” (Comoedia, January 1920). The group's music music is often seen as a neoclassic reaction against both the musical style of Richard Wagner and the Impressionist music of Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Les Six performed together in a number of concerts, and they collaborated on the play-ballet Les Mariés de la tour Eiffel.

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Emily Beynon (born 1969) has been principal flute of the Concertgebouw Orchestra, Amsterdam for almost 30 years. Born in Wales, she studied at the Royal College of Music with Margaret Ogonovsky, then with William Bennett at the Royal Academy and with Alain Marion in Paris. Beynon has performed as concerto soloist with, amongst others, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra and BBC Orchestras. As a chamber musician she works regularly with harpist Catherine Beynon, her sister, and pianist Andrew West. From 2009 – 2021, she was Artistic leader of the Netherlands Flute Academy.

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Andrew West (born 5 February 1979 in Tayport) is an English pianist. He studied with Christopher Elton and John Streets at the Royal Academy of Music, where he is now professor of Accompaniment and Chamber Music. West won second prize for piano at the Geneva International Music Competition in 1990. He appears regularly with the tenor Mark Padmore; together they gave the world premiere of Harrison Birtwistle’s song-cycle, Songs from the Same Earth. He has also worked for over twenty years with flautist Emily Beynon, and has made recordings with such artists as James Gilchrist, Susan Gritton and Roderick Williams.

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