Jacques Ibert - Suite Symphonique; "Paris" (1930)

Описание: Jacques François Antoine Marie Ibert (15 August 1890 – 5 February 1962) was a French composer of classical music. Having studied music from an early age, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire and won its top prize, the Prix de Rome at his first attempt, despite studies interrupted by his service in World War I.

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Suite symphonique: "Paris" (1930)

1. Le Métro (0:00)
2. Faubourgs (2:29)
3. La Mosquée de Paris (5:09)
4. Restaurant au Bois de Boulogne (6:55)
5. Le Paquebot "Ile-de-France" (10:02)
6. Parade foraine (12:19)

Suisse Romande Orchestra conducted by Neeme Järvi

Ibert's Suite symphonique: “Paris” (1930) provides an almost cinematic panorama of Paris in the jazz age, from its suburban parks to its urban thoroughfares. As with the Rhapsody, there are motoric passages—as in “The Metro” and “The Steamship Île-de-France”—that depict the machinery of modernity. Many composers of the interwar period were fascinated with planes, trains, and automobiles, and jazz seemed like it could capture their kinetic energy, albeit with a more ominous tone in Ibert’s music. These two movements and “The Restaurant au Bois de Boulogne” also feature orchestral sound effects—chiming signal bells, the rumble of a train, or a car horn—that recall Gershwin. In fact, the first movement features several brief quotes from American in Paris, albeit cleverly disguised by a darker minor-mode harmony. The fourth movement, however, is Ibert’s own impression of the way in which American popular song and dance music like the Charleston and foxtrot had infiltrated the cafes and cabarets of Paris and melded with the waltzes and mélodies already popular there.

Description by Jacques Ibert:
The various sketches which form this work have been taken, from the score of Jules Romains' play "Donongo" which was presented at the Theatre Pigalle in Paris in 1930 and 1931. By grouping them in a suite form, the composer wishes to express musically the different face of Paris.

I. The Metro - Eight o'clock in the morning. The crowd crushes towards the platform. The trumpet sounds the signal for departure. The train gets underway. The mob sits passively as the underground journey begins.

II. The Suburbs - The street comes to live. The greedy, feverish, day's work begins. A street organ grinds out a melancholy, nostalgic song. A distant violin whispers its plaintive tune.

III. The Mosque of Paris - Across from the zoological gardens rises the Moslem mosque - an unexpected bit of North-Africa in the middle of Paris. A steady monotonous Arabian chant, punctuated by the deep beat of a drum, slowly becomes audible.

IV. Restaurant in the Bois de Boulogne - Dance hall atmosphere. Gaudy post-war luxury. Embracing couples swaying and turning under the blazing chandeliers on the terrace.

V. The steamship "Ile de France" - Rue Auber, before the windows of the Transatlantic Shipping Company. A young couple dreamily studies the model of the "Ile de France". For the it is the symbol of escape, of leaving a world which will perhaps be better. Suddenly, the model seems to come to life ...... Hear the bell, the loud blast of departure, the cry of the sirens, the deep, slowly fading wake.

VI. Parade at the Fair - Holiday in Neuilly or Montmartre. A circus, a shooting gallery, colorful, gaudy booths. Somewhat forced gaiety pervades the crowd.