Chaminade Callirhoé suite de ballet

 Day 16

Chaminade

Callirhoé Suite de Ballet

Orchestra national de Metz Grand Est

David Reiland

One of the most encouraging developments in the last few years has been the increasing attention paid to the work of female composers. I think that I went through my entire school and university music studies without  the work of any female composers being discussed - other than perhaps Clara Schumann and Fanny Mendelssohn, very much as adjuncts to their husband/brother rather than in their own right. The position is now significantly different. I see several works by female composers in the forthcoming concerts in my own city and I know that a number of promoters are keen to do what they can to spread the message.

I don't buy into the argument that somehow all female composers are the equal of their male counterparts and it is only prejudice that has held them back. But equally we need to hear as much as possible of the music of female composers so we can start to identify which of them really were writing music of the highest quality. Recordings help a lot here and I have been greatly enjoying the set Compostrices on my favourite Bru Zane label, which brings together a really good collection in many genres written by 19th century female composers. From that I have already started to explore in more detail the works of Mel Bonis and and Louise Ferrenc.

Today's piece comes from that same collection. Ironically perhaps it is by the one female composer who has at least a wider name recognition. Cécile Chaminade music had quite a following at the end of the 19th century in France but also internationally. One of her pieces was played at Queen Victoria's funeral. She was seen very much as a 'respectable' composer of salon music and songs. You quite often find pieces by her in piles of old music in second-hand book shops. Tastes change and her music went completely out of fashion. It all but disappeared other than her flute concerto, which is still part of the standard repertoire for that instrument. 

Callirohé is a ballet suite in 4 movements dating from 1888. It is typically French and inhabits the same musical world as Massenet and Delibes. Charming and melodic with just enough hint of harmonic daring to escape the commonplace. The orchestral writing is also very French with lots of interesting harp effects and some inventive woodwind writing. Here are there (particularly in the first movement) are hints of the more adventurous harmonic language which we would see a generation later in Ravel and Debussy. The last movement is perhaps a little too long for its material - and in a few places it seemed as if Chaminade was writing with the score of España propped up beside her! - but overall I thoroughly enjoyed this music. I wouldn't call it a masterpiece but it was well worth hearing. 

I'm sure that there will be more in this project from that same Bru Zane compilation.