A Tale of Two Composers
Donald Macleod and Anastasia Belina explore the lives and music of Augusta Holm猫s and Henri Duparc with Duparc's L'invitation au voyage and a symphony by Holm猫s.
Donald Macleod and Anastasia Belina explore the lives and music of Augusta Holm猫s and Henri Duparc, beginning with their early years, and including Duparc's L'invitation au voyage and a symphony by Holm猫s, which was specially recorded by the 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales.
Imagine creating a grand spectacle that demands 1,200 performers, along with the most lavish sets and costumes. You might think that the figure behind such an extraordinary achievement would have staked a claim on immortality, yet despite achieving considerable fame in her own lifetime, this is not the fate that befell Augusta Holm猫s. Over the passage of time her name has disappeared into obscurity, whilst that of her direct contemporary, Henri Duparc has grown and prospered. These days he鈥檚 regarded as one of the leading figures of French song, yet it鈥檚 still the case that relatively little is known about his life.
In Duparc鈥檚 case his is a reputation built on the slenderest of musical means, some seventeen m茅lodies. By contrast, Holm猫s鈥檚 Ode triomphale, which was written to mark the centenary of France鈥檚 1789 revolution, is the largest of a generous collection of large-scale orchestral works, to which you can also add four operas, the last of which was mounted at the Paris Opera in 1895, as well as considerable catalogue of songs.
To shed light on Holm猫s's music, several of her works have been recorded by the 大象传媒 Performing Groups, as part of the Forgotten Women Composers project, which was developed by the 大象传媒 in association with the Arts and Humanities Research Council.
Helping Donald Macleod uncover more about the little-known Augusta Holm猫s and Henri Duparc, is Anastasia Belina, a music historian with a particular interest in 19th-century music and women composers.
Holm猫s鈥檚 musical aspirations didn鈥檛 get off to a flying start, as her mother, who was a painter, held an aversion to music, while Duparc鈥檚 family saw their son鈥檚 eventual future in Law.
Duparc: Chansons triste
Margaret Price, soprano
James Lockhart, piano
Duparc: Aux 茅toiles
Lyon Opera Orchestra
Pierre Bleuse, conductor
Holm猫s: Trois petites pi猫ces for flute and piano
Juliette Hurel, flute
H茅l猫ne Couvert, piano
Holm猫s: Rolando Furieux
大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales
Valentina Peleggi, conductor
Duparc: L鈥檌nvitation au voyage
Felicity Lott, soprano
Orchestre de la Suisse Romande
Armin Jordan, conductor
Produced by Johannah Smith for 大象传媒 Wales.
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Music Played
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Henri Duparc
Chanson Triste
Performer: James Lockhart. Singer: Margaret Price.- ORFEO : C-038831.
- ORFEO.
- 4.
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Henri Duparc
Aux Etoiles for orchestra
Orchestra: Lyon Opera Orchestra. Conductor: Pierre Bleuse.- Alpha ALPHA 401.
- ALPHA CLASSICS.
- 13.
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Augusta Holm猫s
3 Petites Pi猫ces
Performer: Juliette Hurel. Performer: H茅l猫ne Couvert.- Alpha 573.
- Alpha.
- 15.
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Augusta Holm猫s
Roland Furieux (Symphony after Ariosto)
Orchestra: 大象传媒 National Orchestra of Wales. Conductor: Valentina Peleggi. -
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Henri Duparc
L'invitation au voyage
Singer: Felicity Lott. Orchestra: Orchestre de la Suisse Romande. Conductor: Armin Jordan.- AEON : AECD-0314.
- AEON.
- 7.
Broadcasts
- Mon 6 Jul 2020 12:00大象传媒 Radio 3
- Mon 6 Jun 2022 12:00大象传媒 Radio 3
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