Charles Koechlin 18671950

Compact Disc 1 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Sonatine Op.194 No.1* (1942) I. Andante quasi adagio II. Andante con moto III. Andante assez allant IV. Andante con moto V. Allegro moderato Sonatine Op.194b No.2 (1943) I. Andante trs calme II. Andante con moto III. Presque adagio IV. Final 6428 233 204 243 148 147 408 110 240 214

16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35

No.5 in F sharp minor (Andantino) No.6 in A (Allegro moderato) No.7 in A minor No.8 in E (Allegretto) No.9 in E flat minor (Andantino presque adagio) No.10 in D (Allegro moderato) No.11 in F: Tranquillo (sans trainer) No.12 in D minor (Andante con moto) No.13 in G (Allegretto con moto) No.14 in G flat (Allegretto: clair-bien allant) No.15 in B (Andante con moto: la blanche) No.16 in Bb (Allegretto con moto) No.17 in B minor (Andante espressivo) No.18 in Ab minor (Presque adagio Canon loctave) No.19 in C minor (Moderato tranquillo Canon loctave) No.20 in E minor (Moderato Canon la quinte: non modulant) No.21 in Bb minor (Andante: pas trop lent Canon la quinte: modulant) No.22 in Db major (Dolce: trs clair Canon la quarte inferieure: modulant) No.23 in Db minor (Andante molto tranquillo Canon par mouvement contraire) No.24 in C major (Allegretto moderato: ben legato espressivo Canon la neuvieme: trs modulant)

144 039 112 050 211 132 123 128 056 105 206 117 230 143 205 223 143 108 300 134

Duo Disecheis
David Brutti soprano saxophone Filippo Farinelli piano 10 Monodie No.9* from 12 Monodies Op.213 (1947) for alto saxophone 11 Le repos de Tityre from 11 Monodies pour instrument vent Op.216 (1947) for soprano saxophone 154 328

David Brutti alto & soprano saxophones

12 13 14 15 24 Duos Op.186* (1946) for two saxophones No.1 in G minor No.2 in E flat No.3 in F minor (Andante sostenuto) No.4 in A flat (Allant) 116 058 204 045

Atem Saxophone Quartet

David Brutti soprano (12, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 30, 35), alto (13, 32, 33), tenor (23, 28, 29, 31) & baritone saxophones (18) Davide Bartelucci alto saxophone (12, 13, 15, 17, 19, 21, 22, 24, 25, 27, 30, 32, 33, 35), tenor saxophone (14, 16, 26, 34) Francesco Ciocca baritone saxophone (18, 23, 28, 29, 31) Massimo Valentini baritone saxophone (14, 16, 20, 26, 34)

Compact Disc 2 15 Etudes Op.188 (1943) for alto saxophone and piano I. Pour les traits rapides II. Pour le sons lis et le charme de la sonorit III. Pour les arpges IV. Pour la douceur des attaques V. Pour le charme du son dans un mouvement vif VI. Pour le style soutenu et doux, en son lies VII. Pour les sons lis et le charme de la sonorit VIII. Pour les notes en staccato, et le mlange de legato et staccato IX. Pour la longueur de la respiration et legalit du son X. Pour la qualit du son dans un style soutenu XI. Pour la solidit du rythme XII. Pour lgalit du son et pour les nuances XIII. Pour lgalit du son XIV. Pour une sonorit soutenue et expressive, pour la douceur du grave et de laigu XV. Pour les accents qui doivent donner le rythme de la phrase 7 Pices from 15 pices pour cor et piano Op.180 (1942) for tenor saxophone and piano III. Andante presque adagio V. Adagio VII. Andante X. Andante XII. Adagio XIV. Andante con moto XV. Trs doux, presque adagio

6531 1 130 359 200 257 212 244 344 330 224 300 055 520 153 207 243

Compact Disc 3 Epitaphe de Jean Harlow Op.164 (1937) Mario Caroli flute David Brutti alto saxophone Filippo Farinelli piano Septuor pour instruments vent Op.165 (1937) for wind septet I. Monodie II. Pastorale III. Intermezzo IV. Fugue V. Srnit VI. Fugue Op.165bis* (1937) I. La vie souvre devant toi (for wind septet) II. Va librement! (for eleven wind instruments)

5150 345

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15

2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9

149 411 151 149 356 136 506 257 116

15 Prludes pour piano Op.209* (194647) (arr. for septet [by Charles Koechlin]) 10 No.5: Andante trs calme expressif intrieurement

Orchestra Citt Aperta Wind Ensemble

311 415 326 333 345 251 317 Giuseppe Pelura flute & piccolo Maurizio Marino oboe Vladimiro Vagnetti english horn Marco Messa, Daniele Vagnetti clarinets David Brutti alto saxophone Jonathan Williams horn Luca Bonci bassoon & contrabassoon Davide Bartelucci tenor saxophone Francesco Ciocca baritone saxophone Vincenzo Pierotti trumpet Paolo Acquaviva trombone

16 17 18 19 20 21 22

Filippo Farinelli conductor

Duo Disecheis
David Brutti alto & tenor saxophones Filippo Farinelli piano

11 12 13 14 15

Sonatine Op.194 No.1 (1942) for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra I. Andante quasi adagio II. Andante con moto III. Andante assez allant IV. Andante con moto V. Allegro moderato Sonatine Op.194b No.2 (1943) for soprano saxophone and chamber orchestra I. Andante trs calme II. Andante con moto III. Presque adagio IV. Final

Charles Koechlin and the saxophone

304 210 257 152 154 Koechlin adored the saxophone: he loved its sinuousness, its mellowness and its ability to cover the whole musical range from soprano to bass with fluent equality. Although he used a tenor sax in the orchestra as early as 1906 for Fin dautomne (Op.30 No.3) describing the instrument as a timbre that no other can replace he was wary of using it as a soloist before the 1930s and usually wrote its part at sounding pitch in his scores. Indeed, unlike Erik Satie and Les Six, Koechlin had no interest in jazz, and still only used the saxophones as doubling instruments when he orchestrated Cole Porters ballet Within the Quota in 1923. His real enthusiasm for the saxophone developed alongside his attraction to the early sound film in the 1930s, when he used it used it in his Seven Stars Symphony (Op.132) in 1933. Koechlins use of the saxophone is also notable in his much-played Epitaphe de Jean Harlow (Op.164) from 1937, where, alongside the flute and piano, the alto sax gently evokes the spirit and appeal of the Hollywood actress, depicting the cascading of her beautiful ash-blonde hair in the breeze. The composer planned to score his evocation of Ginger Rogers dancing with Fred Astaire beneath the stars in the last of his Danses pour Ginger (Op.163 No.4) for sax quartet, guitars, harps, harpsichord, piano and percussion, and the whole family of saxes feature in his Waltz of the Waters in Les Eaux vives (Op.160). This latter work was written to accompany the outdoor Festival of Light at the 1937 Universal Exhibition in Paris. In the 1940s, Koechlin developed the art of the self-contained monody and brought his universal knowledge of instruments together in his monumental Trait de lorchestration, written mostly in 193943 but not published by Eschig until 19549. The section on saxophones in Volume 1 (these very beautiful and very precious instruments both as soloists and blending instruments) shows that Koechlin especially favoured the alto and tenor for their very velvety sound, great agility, soft and easy attack. He says they are easier to play than the clarinet, as well as being capable of much greater sonority and volume, when necessary. His complete understanding of their technical capabilities is also made explicit here, so it is no wonder that his own solo pieces for saxophone are both challenging and immensely rewarding to play. As Koechlin knew exactly what he was doing, David Brutti is absolutely right to play them from the original manuscripts, and his fine interpretations show that he understands what Koechlin was trying to achieve with the saxophone family too.

16 17 18 19

443 108 248 239

David Brutti soprano saxophone Orchestra Citt Aperta

Giuseppe Pelura flute & piccolo Marco Messa clarinet Laura Vinciguerra harp Gabrielle Lester, Olga Kuzma violins Carlamaria Rodriguez, Claudio Cavalletti violas Francesco Sorrentino, Marco Algenti cellos

Filippo Farinelli conductor

*World premiere recordings

It is no surprise that the magisterial collection of 15 studies for alto sax (Op.188) are exactly contemporary with the Trait de lorchestration, as are the two delightful Sonatinas (Op.194), here played in their versions for soprano sax. Some of the studies are light and dance-like; others calm and contemplative. In No.2, the spirit of Gabriel Faur (and of Jean Harlow) is never far away, and No.5 (also originally titled Pour les sons lis et le charme de la sonorit) could easily pass for one of Koechlins cinema pieces. In general, the studies are in straightforward ABA form, some with the opening material returning at transposed pitches: another feature of Koechlins later style. With its chains of tricky perfect fourths, Pour les arpges is the most easily identifiable as being by Koechlin, although the continual canonic counterpoint in No.11 Pour la solidit du rythme is an impressive equivalent. With their rhythmic interest, directness, formal simplicity and metric regularity, these studies are the most successful and attractive of Koechlins later music for wind instruments. While they are not light music because of their serious technical goals, it is possible that Koechlin had more of an admiration for this genre which brought the saxophone to prominence in the 1920s than he cared to admit. After all, it had also made the saxophone a regular and valuable member of the orchestra. Just as he arranged a suite of nine pieces (originally for oboe damore) into the Deux Sonatines (Op.194), so Koechlin chose nine instruments to accompany the soloist; among these instruments was harpsichord, reflecting another growing interest in his later chamber music. Each sonatina consists of a series of slower, reflective movements with a faster finale, that of the second being a gem a light, crisp and unusually directional ronde, or high-spirited folk dance. The most important piece here, however, is the masterful Wind Septet from the summer of 1937, with its expansive, idealistic, bipartite finale entitled Life opens before you Go, freely. The first part is a long, gently unfolding monody passing from instrument to instrument, and the second is impressively fugal, its subject announced by the alto sax. The life Koechlin had in mind was that of his youngest son, Yves, and he began it as a thanksgiving Caprice for his return to Paris after his escape from an unhappy time at a rather dubious religious school in the South of France at the age of 13. The first fugal finale (Op.165 No.6) is based on a theme Yves had sung to him at the age of four. Most of the Septet was composed aboard the liner Ile de France en route from Le Havre to New York, as life opened before Koechlin too. It is further associated with his love of foreign

travel, and he wrote the fugal fourth movement on a train from Chicago to Los Angeles on 28 July 1937, finishing the whole Franco-American work in San Diego in mid August. The other remarkable thing about the Septet is the way it also opens out from a clarinet monody, through a wind trio (Pastorale), to the first appearance of all seven instruments in the Intermezzo. For his longer alternative finale (Op.165bis), Koechlin added a second flute, tenor and baritone saxes, trumpet and trombone, with piccolo and contrabassoon as doubling instruments, giving a small orchestra of twelve players the capabilities of fourteen. The initial exposition of Va, librement uses a spiky subject in rising fourths and sevenths, and it must have gratified Koechlin, the master contrapuntist, when he discovered that a second fugue could be created from its counter-subject in reverse form and combined with the original subject. This appears on every instrument, leading to a huge climax which dissolves into what appears to be a slower fugue, but is in reality a more lyrical version of the original subject at the same underlying pulse. Just as we think that this is vanishing into eternity, a brief codetta brings back the original subject in triumphant unison. It shows us, even more remarkably, that the whole of Op.165bis is homotonal despite its chromatic complexity, with both parts miraculously ending on exactly the same chord in the same spacing. In both technique and message, this extraordinary double finale is an example of uncompromising artistic freedom. As liberty and independence were central to Koechlins credo, so Vers la vie also goes to the heart of his mature music in both spirit and conception, being full of the visionary hope that leads to optimism, energy and joy as vital antidotes to the problems of everyday life. Robert Orledge, 2012

David Brutti David Brutti was fifteen years old when he began learning the saxophone at his hometowns music school (Foligno, Italy), and by the age of twenty he had obtained his soloist diploma. Having later attended masterclasses by Jean-Marie Londeix ones that completely changed his ideas about music Brutti was encouraged to continue his studies at the Conservatoire de Bordeaux with Marie Bernadette Charrier, where he was awarded the gold medal is saxophone performance. After completing his studies, Brutti began collaborating with various contemporary music ensembles such as the Divertimento Ensemble, Algoritmo Ensemble, Prometeo Ensemble and Ensemble Nuovo Contrappunto, and with jazz musicians including Gabriele Mirabassi, Battista Lena, Enrico Rava, Giovanni Guidi, Javier Girotto, Gianluca Petrella and Mauro Ottolini. These professional alliances greatly enriched his musical language, one that combines different and sometimes even contrastings styles; indeed, as a highly eclectic musician, Brutti posseses a repertoire that ranges from avant-garde and classical music to improvised and electronic music. He is a musician who refuses to be attached to a specific genre and who is constantly exploring the multifaceted nature of his instrument. Due to his interest in discovering and developing new musical languages, Brutti is an expert in the more unusual members of the saxophone family (the sopranino, bass and contrabass saxophones, the slide sax, the C-melody and C-soprano, the F mezzo-soprano, the EWI), and he often combines these instruments with electronic audio devices. Having commissioned and premiered more than 30 original works to date, he regularly collaborates with many of the worlds leading composers including Andrea Manzoli, Paolo Baioni, Fabio Cifariello-Ciardi, Robert Cummings, Mauro Porro, Terry Riley, Michael Edlund, Bernhard Lang, Marco Marinoni, Marco Momi, Dimitri Nicolau, Stefano Trevisi, Roberta Vacca, Paolo Marzocchi, Fabrizio De Rossi Re and Christina Athinodorou. He has also performed at some of the worlds greatest concert halls and festivals, such as the Auditorium Parco della Musica (Rome), Santa Cecilia Hall (Rome), Muziekgebouw Aan Tij (Amsterdam), Royal Festival Hall (Southbank, London), Universitt der Knste (Berlin), Teatro Regio (Turin), Saint Petersburg Philharmonic, Oleg Kagan Musikfest (Munich), Traiettorie 2010 (Parma), Umbria Jazz 2007 and 2010, Sagra Musicale Umbra, Festival Automne Musicale de Chtellerault (Poitiers), Amici della Musica, Jazzfestival Saalfelden 2004 (Salzburg), Nuova Consonanza (Rome), and 2004 Grenoble Jazz Festival. Brutti has been invited to give masterclasses at the Royal College of Music in London, and at the

Conservatori Superior de Msica de les Illes Balears in Palma de Mallorca. He has recorded for Rai Trade, Rai Radio Tre, Cam Jazz, Artesuono, Materiali Sonori, Warner Chappell, Radar Music, Parco della Musica Records, Label Bleu, Max Research and Discovery Label. He plays Rampone & Cazzani R1-Jazz saxophones, Lgre reeds, Drake mouthpieces and Rovner ligatures. www.davidbrutti.com

Duo Disecheis Duo Disecheis was formed in November 2001 by the saxophonist David Brutti and the pianist Filippo Farinelli, its aim being to disseminate 20th-century and contemporary chamber music. Having studied at the Conservatories of Pesaro and Bordeaux, and the Conservatory of Perugia, respectively, both musicians then continued their studies with Duo Pepicelli and Pier Narciso Masi at the Incontri col Maestro International Piano Academy in Imola. Here they each obtained a three-year Masters diploma, thereafter taking courses with Federico Mondelci at the Internationales Oleg Kagan Musikfest (Kreuth Munich) and the Estate Musicale in Portogruaro (Venice). Brutti and Farinelli have been top prizewinners at over twenty national and international competitions, and came 2nd in the 2007 Gaudeamus Interpreters Competition in Amsterdam one of the most prestigious competitions for contemporary music performance. Duo Disecheis have collaborated with a number of composers including Paolo Baioni, Stefano Bulfon, Fabio Cifariello-Ciardi, Marco Momi, Stefano Trevisi, Marco Marinoni, Dimitri Nicolau and Christina Athinodorou some of whom have also written works specifically for the pair. As well as performing live during the RadioTre Suite broadcast on contemporary literature for the bass saxophone and prepared piano, the duo also made the world premiere recording of Jean Franaixs Neuf Historiettes for baritone voice, tenor saxophone and piano (CD Maxresearch DL018). Duo Disecheis have appeared at numerous venues, such as the Muziekgebouw (Amsterdam), Sala dei Notari (Perugia), European University Institute (Fiesole, Florence), RAI Radio 3 studios (Rome), Teatro Lirico Sperimentale (Ancona), 2006 World Saxophone Congress (Ljubljana, Slovenia), Amici della Musica Associations of Modena and Catanzaro, 2004 Compositori a Confronto (Reggio Emilia), Yamaha Musica Italia (Milan), 6th Chamber Music Festival (Lucca), and 2007 Festival Automne Musical (Chtellerault, France). In addition to their interest in contemporary music, Duo Disecheis explore an extensive repertoire

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that ranges from composers tied to the French musical aesthetics of the late 19th century, such as Debussy, DIndy, Koechlin and Schmitt, to composers from the second half of the 20th century notably Denisov, Denhoff and Nodaira as well as those whose work is versed in German Expressionism, including Dessau, Jacobi and Schulhoff. www.duodisecheis.com

Atem Saxophone Quartet The Atem Saxophone Quartet was founded in 2005 by four young Italian saxophonists, and has quickly risen to become one of the best saxophone quartets in Italy and abroad. In July 2008 the Quartet made its official debut at the Auditorium Parco della Musica in Rome. Since founding the group, the Atem Quartets members have been committed to contributing to the sphere of original repertoire, and are constantly seeking new compositions. They have commissioned over 20 original works, and have also collaborated with international artists such as Javier Girotto (with whom they recently recorded the album Suix, released by Parco della Musica Records Rome), Timothy Brock, Chris Collins, and the Delta Saxophone Quartet. www.atemquartet.com

Orchestra Citt Aperta Founded in 2001, Orchestra Citt Aperta comprises talented musicians from different areas of Italy and the UK, and has recorded more than thirty soundtracks for film and television in the Teatro La Fragolina, Fossa, in Abruzzo. Fossa, home to the orchestra since 2002, was badly damaged by the earthquakes of 2009, but luckily La Fragolina managed to escape undamaged. With generous help from friends, OCA continues to record and perform in Fossa, giving courses for talented young musicians, and offering them opportunities to learn with experienced musicians and help sustain hopes of improvement in the area in the near future. In 2010 OCA recorded the soundtrack for Marco Bellocchios movie Vincere, which received the David di Donatello award for music. Besides its continous work on music for films, OCA enjoys a busy concert schedule thanks to its vast repertoire. www.orchestracittaaperta.com

Filippo Farinelli Filippo Farinelli was born in 1976 and lives near Assisi, central Italy. He studied at the Morlacchi Conservatory in Perugia (piano), Briccialdi Musical Institute in Terni (Italy), and Campiani Conservatory in Mantua (chamber music). In June 2009 he completed the two-year postgraduate programme in Lied Vokalbegleitung at the Universitt fr Musik und Darstellende Kunst in Vienna, where he studied under Charles Spencer. He also studied composition with Stefano Bracci and Marco Gatti. Farinelli has taken part in masterclasses with Paolo Vergari, Dario De Rosa, Irwin Cage, Dalton Baldwin and Ciro Scarponi. Since 2001 he has been part of Duo Disecheis with the saxophonist David Brutti, an ensemble which has won numerous national competitions, and during his career Farinelli has played for important institutions such as the Amici della Musica Associations of Perugia, Modena, Foggia, Catanzaro and Fabriano; the Associazione Filarmonica di Terni; AGIMUS in Perugia and Rome; the Ljubljana Festival; the Violino magico Festival of Portogruaro; MusicaRivaFestival; the BadiaMusica Festival; the Festival da Bach a Bartk in Imola; the Cinque Terre Festival; the Festival delle Nazioni in Citt di Castello; the Festival Automne Musical in Chtellerault; the Festival LidoMusicAgosto in Venezia-Lido; and several contemporary music festivals, such as Harmonia Mundi in Assisi and Compositori a Confronto in Reggio Emilia. Farinelli studied orchestral conducting with Ennio Nicotra, and has directed the Moldavian Radio Television Orchestra, the Bacau Philharmonic, the Ingal Orchestra and the Assisi Musiche Orchestra. He has recorded with various labels: Brilliant Classics, Materiali Sonori, Max Research, Aliamusica, Domanimusica, Tactus and Rai Radio Tre. He teaches vocal chamber music at the Marenzio Conservatory in Brescia. www.filippofarinelli.com

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Interpreters note
Our aim was to be as faithful as possible to the composers ideas, so we decided to base our performances on Koechlins manuscripts, kindly provided by his family. We compared the manuscripts with extant printed editions, correcting mistakes and misprints, and, in some cases, turning to versions that are the outcome of pondered personal choices (as is the case with the piano versions of the Sonatinas Op.194). For the 7 Pices Op.180, originally composed for horn, we turned to the indications in the composers manuscript, rather than use the revisions currently in circulation, and decided to entrust the transcriptions entirely to the voice of the tenor sax in order to attain a more uniform timbre closer to that of the instrument for which they were written. For the 24 Duos Op.186, which Koechlin originally wrote for soprano and alto, and later arranged for two saxes (soprano and alto), we decided to use different combinations of saxes to bring out all the expressive aspects of this work. David Brutti & Filippo Farinelli

Instruments
David Brutti Soprano Sax: Rampone & Cazzani R1-Jazz solid silver-24K, gold plated, semicurved, high G (AG925); Mouthpiece: Aaron Drake Son of Slant 10; Ligature: Rovner Platinum; Reed: Lgre Signature 3 Alto Saxophone: Rampone & Cazzani R1-Jazz solid silver-24K, gold plated (AG925); Otto Link Tone Edge Slant Signature 6 (1950); Ligature: Rovner Platinum; Reed: Lgre Signature 3 Tenor Saxophone: Rampone & Cazzani R1-Jazz silver satin with gold inside bell (ASU); Mouthpiece: Aaron Drake Son of Slant 8*; Ligature: Rovner Platinum; Reed: Lgre Signature 3 1/4 Baritone Saxophone: Rampone & Cazzani R1-Jazz silver with gold inside bell and keys (AUG++); Mouthpiece: Aaron Drake Comtemporary Roll Over 125; Ligature: Rovner Platinum; Reed: Lgre Signature 3 Filippo Farinelli Fazioli Grand Piano F278 Schimmel Grand Piano K230
Recorded: 6 May 2011 (CD2: 115), 22 April (CD1: 19), 1 July (CD2: 1622) & 23 September 2012 (CD1: 1011), Piano et Forte, Perugia; 1 November 2011 (CD1: 1235), 23 February (CD3: 29) & 27 February 2012 (CD3: 1119), Sala Moriconi, Filarmonica di Belfiore Auditorium, Foligno, Perugia; 1 October 2012, Riff Raff Jazz Studio, Trevignano, Rome (CD3: 10); Ex refettorio, Complesso di San Pietro, Gubbio, Perugia (CD3: 1) Recording editing and mastering: Studio Kronos (Angelo Benedetti, Davide Giannini, Marco Pontini) Set-up: Neumann microphones; Preamplifier Millennia HV-3D; D/A converter Lynx Studio Aurora 16 Cover image: iStockphoto / Thinkstock & 2012 Brilliant Classics

Acknowledgments
We are grateful to Marc-Lerique Koechlin and the Koechlin family for their valuable support and for allowing us to examine the manuscripts; Robert Orledge for his precious advice; Mathieu Samani for his help with Op.165bis; Diego Sciurpa of Piano et Forte, for the use and tuning of the pianos; Associazione Filarmonica of Belfiore (Perugia, Italy), for allowing us to use their auditorium; Katia Ghigi and the Gubbio Summer Festival, for allowing us to use the ex-refectory of the complex of San Pietro (Gubbio, Perugia, Italy); and Daniele Vagnetti and Simone Borgianni, for their technical assistance.

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