Jean Françaix
Composer Jean Françaix wrote in an accessible, attractive style that often led listeners and commentators to ignore the depth and originality present in much of his music. His father was the director of the Le Mans Conservatory. His mother was a teacher and choir director on its staff. He began to study piano when he was four. Before he was ten he had music lessons from Isidor Philipp (piano) and Nadia Boulanger (harmony, counterpoint, composition). He published a composition at the age of ten, Pour Jacqueline, a piano suite dedicated to his baby cousin.
In 1930 he won first prize in piano at the Paris Conservatory. Pierre Monteux premiered his Symphony in 1932. In the same year he wrote his Concertino for Piano & Orchestra. The premiere of the work in 1934 made Françaix's reputation. He quickly came into demand. Ballets Russes de Monte Carlo commissioned a ballet, Scuola di ballo (Dance School), choreographed by Léonide Massine, based on themes of Boccherini. Another ballet, Le Roi nu (The Naked King or The Emperor's New Clothes), was premiered by the Paris Opera in 1935. He wrote a piano concerto in 1936 and played it on his first American trip, in 1938. He toured often with cellist Maurice Gendron, the Trio Pasquier, and later, with his daughter Claude as a piano duo partner.
Françaix was also known for his orchestrations of works by Chopin, Schubert, Chabrier, and Mozart. Poulenc requested that Françaix orchestrate L'histoire de Babar for him. Françaix transcribed many of his own works for the Mainz Wind Ensemble.
The light, witty character of Françaix's music has caused some to dismiss it as frivolous. Others have decried the fact that his style remained static throughout his life. In reality, he had found all he needed and achieved his mature voice immediately. His orchestrations are always clear and sparkling, his forms precise and neo-Classical, his emotions reserved. Françaix had little use for the Romantic esthetic of the composer pouring his inner soul into the music. In this, he was primarily influenced by Ravel. However, he sometimes wrote works of great depth. His masterwork among this sort of composition is L'Apocalypse de St Jean, written in 1939, the year World War II began. The work is mystical, even ecstatic, with plain flowing melodies reminiscent of old chant. It was premiered in 1942 at the Conservatory, conducted by Charles Munch. It was played at a memorial concert for Françaix in Le Mans in 1999, its first French performance since 1951.
© TiVo
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Beethoven: Complete Music for Cello and Piano
Mstislav Rostropovich, Sviatoslav Richter, Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 1994
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Schubert: Music for Violin & Piano; Arpeggione Sonata
Szymon Goldberg, Radu Lupu, Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Classique - Paru chez Decca Music Group Ltd. le 1 janv. 2000
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Dvorak : Cello Concerto (+ Reger & Francaix)
Anja Thauer, Czech Philharmonic, Zdenek Macal, Jean Françaix
Classique - Paru chez Universal Music Australia Pty. Ltd. le 25 sept. 2015
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jean Françaix: Musique de chambreEdition du centenaire - Centenary Official Edition (Edition du centenaire - Centenary Official Edition)
Jean Françaix, Octuor de France, Lola Descours
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Indesens le 4 juin 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Copland, Francaix, Nielsen : Concertos pour clarinette et orchestre (Great clarinet concertos)
Philippe Cuper, Orchestre De Bretagne, Jean-Claude Schnitzler, Jean Françaix
Musique symphonique - Paru chez Indesens le 1 janv. 1993
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Le violoncelle et son virtuose (Mono Version)
Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1962
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Très Françaix
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Oboe Classics le 1 août 2014
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Françaix spielt Françaix
Classique - Paru chez wergo le 1 oct. 1999
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Francaix : Fantaisie pour violoncelle
Orchestre De Bretagne, Jean Françaix, Henri Demarquette
Classique - Paru chez Pierre Verany le 15 juil. 2012
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jean Francaix - Trio for Oboe, Bassoon & Piano / Trio für Oboe, Fagott & Klavier / Trio pour hautbois, basson et piano
Classique - Paru chez K&K Verlagsanstalt le 22 déc. 2010
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Mozart: Quintette pour piano et vents, K. 452 - Lickl: Cassazione (Mono Version)
Quintette à vent de l'Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion Française, Jean Françaix, Jules Goetgheluck, Maurice Cliquenois, René Plessier, Louis Courtinat
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1958
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Quintette pour piano et instruments à vent, Op. 16 (Mono Version)
Quintette à vent de l'Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion Française, Jean Françaix, Jules Goetgheluck, Maurice Cliquennois, René Plessier, Louis Courtinat
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1953
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
J. Françaix: Divertimento
Classique - Paru chez Suoni e Colori le 12 mai 2013
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Gargantua et autres plaisirs
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Analekta le 10 févr. 2009
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Napoléon (Bande originale du film de 1954)
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez Disques Cinémusique le 6 janv. 2017
24-Bit 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Françaix: Paris, à nous deux! & Déploration de Tonton (Mono Version)
Genevieve Touraine, Michel Sénéchal, Quatuor de saxophones Marcel-Mule, Jean Françaix
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Françaix: Le diable boiteux, La cantate de Méphisto & Pièces avec guitare (Mono Version)
Hugues Cuenod, Doda Conrad, Jean Françaix
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
La musique de film de JEAN FRANÇAIX (Original Movie Soundtrack)
Bandes originales de films - Paru chez Disques Cinémusique le 1 janv. 2019
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Jean Francaix - Le Colloque des deux Perruches for Flute and Alto Flute
Musique de chambre - Paru chez Cantilena Records le 31 janv. 2024
16-Bit CD Quality 44.1 kHz - Stereo -
Beethoven: Sonates pour violoncelle et piano Op. 69 & Op. 5 No. 2 (Mono Version)
Maurice Gendron, Jean Françaix
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1952
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo -
Françaix: Au musée Grévin & Musique de cour (Mono Version)
Jean-Pierre Rampal, Orchestre symphonique de Versailles, Jean Françaix
Divers - Paru chez BNF Collection le 1 janv. 1957
24-Bit 96.0 kHz - Stereo