Dupont: Les heures dolentes

Taccogna, Giuseppe

PCL 10232

Gabriel Dupont (1878-1914) died prematurely from tuberculosis, and perhaps one reason why he never attained the fame of his contemporaries like Ravel, Debussy and Faurè was his short life, signed by his illness and the large time spent in recovering in convalescent homes, alienated from the intellectual and artistic inspiration of the capital. On the other hand, this forced isolation allowed the composer to seek his own style and musical personality.

Despite his unfortune life, in just over a decade he managed to realize some highly original works. In his two piano suites Gabriel Dupont left a formidable challenging witness of the musical atmosphere of the Belle Epoque: his music, hard to define, lies between romanticism and impressionism with strong connections to symbolism.

This new recording, volume 1 of the projected Complete Piano Works, presents the piano cycle Les heures dolentes, composed between 1903 and 1905 as he first fell ill from tuberculosis; it is a substantial piano cycle based on what was happening around him while he was in his recovery room. Beginning in relative calm, the cycle gradually increases in intensity, punctuated by periods of respite and consolation (A lady friend came with flowers), or life that continues outside (Children play in the garden) before the culmination of the climax in the second-last song (Nuit blanche - Hallucinations), and finally the return to calm, with the last piece that leaves the listener the choice between hope and death. The theme of "melancholy of happiness" (cit. Emmanuel Sauvlet) is the leitmotiv: the symbolistic contemplation of beauty and joy are pervaded by the melancholy awareness of man’s powerlessness in the face of his mortal destiny and ends in a calm, serene resignation.

Played by Italian pianist Giuseppe Taccogna. Specialized in performing Romantic and Late-Romantic repertoire, (such as Liszt, and Rachmaninoff) he is also an eclectic and versatile musician, a great singer and multi- instrumentalist with a vast repertoire that sweeps smoothly between different musical genres.

CD

Muzyka klasyczna

Piano Classics

05-04-2023

5029365102322