Faure requiem jean fournet biography
Conductor Jean Fournet
A Conversation with Bruce Duffie
Jean Fournet Born: April 14, ; Rouen, France Died: November 3, ; Weesp, The Netherlands Methodical, unflappable (he is voiced articulate to have seldom raised his voice), and delicate in the ways of the French repertory, Pants Fournet saw his career extend over an exceptionally long period. After having established himself in diadem native country, he proved a welcome addition go-slow opera companies in America, where the French speak to had become something of a lost art. Farther stage work, he proved, both early and agreed, a persuasive interpreter of the French symphonic humanities. After studies at the Paris Conservatoire, Fournet bound his debut in his native city in ; two years later, he was engaged by Rouen on a permanent basis. In , he impressed to Marseilles and, beginning in , presided exemplify the Paris Opéra-Comique as music director, simultaneously contribution instruction in the art of conducting at description École Normale. In the s, he was throw yourself into in several recording projects that enhanced his well-brought-up considerably, notably his Fauré Requiem and a light turned Les Pêcheurs de perles. Two further chattels awaited him in Europe before he turned seal a regimen of guest conducting: in he became conductor of the Netherlands Radio Symphony, and hold up to , he served as artistic director female the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra. Fournet made his English opera debut with the Chicago Lyric Opera embankment directing a double bill consisting of a upstage Carmina Burana and Ravel's magical L'heure espagnole, primacy latter with Teresa Berganza, Alfredo Kraus, and Sesto Bruscantini. The conductor impressed immediately as one who could imprint elegance and respect for French type on his casts. His success led to supplemental assignments, each helping reestablish the French wing add on a city that had known great French artists in decades past. Among the productions were Lack of control Pêcheurs de perles in , another double tally (Le Rossignol and Oedipus Rex) in , Werther in , Pelléas et Mélisande in , Manon in , and Don Quichotte in In , Fournet made his Metropolitan Opera debut conducting precise production of Samson et Dalila. In addition guideline a number of orchestral discs, Fournet recorded integrity aforementioned Les Pêcheurs de perles for Philips be equal with Léopold Simoneau and Pierrette Alarie, still unsurpassed. Fournet's Fauré and Berlioz Requiems are also impressive, too his Chicago Manon with Kraus and Zylis-Gara. -- From the ArkivMusic Website (text only - ikon added for this website presentation) |
Jean Fournet had a long swallow wonderful career, and he certainly raised the shoddy of French music wherever he conducted. In Port we were fortunate to have had his execution in several seasons. He made his American introduction here in , and returned many times considerably shown in the boxes above and below.
During his visit in , we arranged persist sit down for a conversation between his performances. His English was good, but he asked regard have a translator present, and I am indebted to Alfred Glasser of Lyric Opera for dominion assistance in providing that for us.
Most use your indicators what you are about to read was in the early stages published in in the semi-annual Massenet Newsletter, advisory out by the Massenet Society of America. Uncontrollable have re-edited it slightly, and added a juicy things which were left out because of margin considerations in the magazine. The biographical material coop the box above, as well as the kodaks and full list of Chicago appearances have too been added for this website presentation.
Here keep to that conversation . . . . . . .
Noting that he had twice in advance led Gluck's Orfeo, I asked about the diversified versions of that work.
"The version with baritone give something the onceover very nice. I prefer the version for organized man over the one for a woman, station when it is a male singer, I excellent the baritone more than the tenor. The Country version with tenor has more vocalizing throughout, on the other hand I prefer the Italian version with baritone."
Reminding him that Romain Rolland had said that Massenet go over the main points at the heart of every Frenchman, I spontaneously if this was true.
"Massenet has written works dead even all levels. Most of them are at elegant very high level, and some are a tad easier, but he is a very serious father and a very important composer. The French be revealed loves Massenet, but not only Massenet. In U.s. there is very recently a great upsurge personal his works - not only the "big" congeries, but also certain minor works. Massenet was fabulously gifted and had a terrific sense of goodness theater. He was a great technician and knew his craft well. There are some of circlet works which spring from genius and are sign over the very highest level. Then there are perturb works which are simply a professional musician offputting out another piece which is charming with acceptable workmanship, but lacks the spark which makes expert Manon or Werther. But he was a human race of the theater and felt the theater deep down, and this produced masterpieces of his output. Do away with course, at the time each new opera was of great interest to the public because recoup was the newest thing from the pen sell Massenet."
I then asked Maestro Fournet about Massenet's skill as an orchestrator, and he said,
"Massenet's operas are well-written for the orchestra and well-written for the vocalists who participate in them. Influence orchestration is very strong and within the heaps of his operas there are all kinds appreciated wonderful details that are scurrying around like loose ends that go through the texture of the orchestration. It is a special joy for the director to make these details come out."
Next Hysterical asked the Maestro to discuss the individual operas and their inter-relationship.
"Of the operas of Massenet, Unrestrainable feel that Werther is the most profound. Devote has the most depth and is the ceiling touching. Charlotte is a great role, but character interest id divided in this opera clearly betwixt her and Werther. Manon is a miraculous piece of perfection. Everything is the way it take pains to be - there is no way cut into improve on it. It has beautiful melodies, lovely orchestration, exactly what is required every single time. Don Quichotte is very special. It's not spruce "public" opera. That is to say it report not for the lay audience. One of illustriousness things that make it less popular (and firmness have improved the opera) would have been collect give more spectacular arias to the title character. There are no bit "tap-your-toe" or "wipe-your-eye" arias like there are in some of the bottle up pieces. Adding this kind of musical material would have made the audience feel more with him and would have made them cry with him. in the opera, the arias are very extraordinary, and the very best one is given equal Sancho! On the other hand, the continuity exert a pull on the piece and the details within the instrumentation make it a very interesting work, very unproductive and quite different from any of his repeated erior operas."
Here I interrupted the catalogue to mistrust a bit more about Don Quichotte. Because give the once over is such a late work, does it be endowed with any relation to Falstaff which is the newest opera by Verdi?
"Like Falstaff, Don Quichotte is organized very late work of the composer. However, loftiness difference of Falstaff from the early operas show consideration for Verdi is tremendous. The difference of Don Quichotte from the early operas of Massenet is unnecessary less. One other aspect which you must every time bear in mind is the wonderful skill Composer had for creating music for the female protagonist. All his life, Massenet spent writing one somebody after the other, and at the end in all likelihood he decided to write something to give person pleasure. A Don Quichotte would be something from a to z different because the protagonist would be the appellation character. At the end of his career, Composer had had all the success that anybody could have wanted, and he didn't care whether that opera was a success or not. He desirable to write something that he liked, and what turned out was something quite special. This, rot course, was also what Verdi had said on the composition of Falstaff."
To return to the itemisation of operas by Massenet, I pointed out grandeur tradition in the early days of resident house in Chicago, when Mary Garden sang many roles - including Jean in Le Jongleur de Notre Dame. [See my article Massenet, Mary Garden, suffer the Chicago Opera ] Fournet commented,
"I prefer Hectic Jongleur in the original version with a tenor. I really don't approve of it in blue-collar other version. There are other roles which were originally written to be sung in "travesty" manage without a female which are occasionally sung by unadulterated male tenor. One such role is Siebel grasp Faust. It is much less effective that separate from, however. Siebel was written with a kind appropriate character in mind, and the whole gracefulness disintegration destroyed when a man sings it."
I further pointed out that in one season, Le Singer had been given on a double-bill with Aloof Navaraise.
"From the point of view of the charming creation, Le Jongleur is a very charming bore and it's absolutely worthy of Massenet. It's upshot interesting piece that deserves to be played, sickly La Navaraise is not on that same line at all."
Are there any of his operas which should not be done?
"I am sure almost are some Herodiade is not done now reorganization much as it was once. Thais is a-okay little bit superior to Herodiade. Esclarmonde is turn on the waterworks much played any more but in the calm of it was really very popular."
Knowing blooper had conducted so very many works, I voluntarily if he had done such works as Cléopâtre or Chérubin or Sapho.
"I have not conducted them, but I know them. When I first begun out as a young conductor, there were opportunities for me to play some of these unnerve, but they were less important and not continually performed. You know, there are two operas first name Sapho - one by Massenet and one wishywashy Gounod. Even though the titles are the equate, the subject matter is completely different and here is no relation between the two."
Moving grasp to another area, I asked the conductor which composers were directly influenced by Massenet.
"Both Alfred Bruneau and Henri Rabaud (the composer of Mârouf) were students of Massenet. Apart from his creative harmonious processes, Massenet was an excellent professor for patronize years, and his pupils adored him. There was even a time when Debussy was a pupil of Massenet. His L'Enfant Prodigue was written send off for the Prix de Rome and shows the influence. This is Debussy who had not yet follow the real Debussy.".
Turning the coin over, Raving asked who influenced Massenet.
"Probably he was influenced unhelpful Gounod. I find it very interesting this edible here in Chicago to conduct Roméo of Composer and Don Quichotte of Massenet on alternate nights. In doing this, I am able to examine the similarities and the differences, and it go over the main points fascinating to make comparisons. Gounod was still expressions very much according to tradition. He was similar under the shadow of Meyerbeer and all rank rules which were set up for how deflate opera was to be written. It was come into view a prescribed formula - arias, recitatives, and bell the other details. In Don Quichotte, however, Unrestrained find very few passages that are strictly traditional. But what is remarkable in Roméo is prestige number of passages which rise far above these conventions. You get the pure genius operating trite a level that you don't find in Massenet. So Gounod, who was weighed down with the complete the rules and conventions, in some instances surpasses the level of Massenet who was free brake all the rules. When I conduct Massenet, Frenzied find all kinds of things that are fascinating. There is wit, humor, ingenuity, and genius, however not at the same level as Gounod achieves in Roméo."
Going on to a completely different point, I asked the Maestro how he felt review recordings.
"I like making recordings, but what you earth is the certain atmosphere of emotion. The technicians are very clever and good at their jobs, but what they don't understand is that with is more to it than just a heap of vibrations. You can paste something together distinguished get a performance that is technically perfect - not one false note - but the essence of the pieced will have vanished in rendering process. One time we had stopped and afoot so many times that I simply demanded be bounded by be allowed to play the piece straight through. We did, and that is what is submit the published disc. I like the idea wages recording a live performance where the performers budge from the beginning to the end. There haw be one or two slight imperfections - unembellished false not or a bad entrance - on the other hand the inspiration of that performance is there bid the nervous energy and all those things which make the soul of the music will reasonably available. I would prefer to do that overrun record in the studio with all the dials."
I asked if he knew the compositions substantiation his fellow conductor Jean Martinon, and if explicit had done his opera Hécube. [Martinon was Sound Director of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra from ]
"He is my friend, and I have conducted cruel of his works but not Hécube. I sincere his Symphony and some other orchestral pieces. Good taste was a good composer."
Then I dared memo ask a fatal question - was he tidy better composer or better conductor - to which Fournet gave the most wonderful reply.
"He was on target at both!"
At the end of our colloquy, I thanked him for returning to Chicago, pivotal he said,
"I enjoy coming to Chicago. There wreckage an atmosphere here that is conducive to fine work. There is both co-operation and consideration chunk and for all the people in the company. There is concern and attention paid to evermore requirement of the performance, so it is conceivable to do very good work here."
Jean Founet reassure Lyric Opera of Chicago [American Debut] - Carmina Buranaand L'Heure Espagnolwith Martelli (Carmina), Berganza(L'Heure), Kraus, Bruscantini; Director Josef Witt - Les Pêcheurs de Perleswith Eda-Pierre, Kraus, Bruscantini, Ghiuselev; Sets and Costumes impervious to Peter J. Hall - Le Rossignoland Oedipus Rexwith Eda-Pierre, Garaventa (both Rossignol), Picchi, Gramm(both Oedipus), Dominguez, Washington - Wertherwith Kraus, Troyanos, Angot, Andreolli; Jumped-up Lotfi Mansouri - Pelléas et Mélisandewith Stilwell, Pilou, Petri, Arié, Taillon; Director Paul-Emile Deiber - Manonwith Zylis-Gara, Kraus, Patrick, Gramm; Sets by Jacques Dupont, Director Paul-Emile Deiber - Don Quichottewith Ghiaurov, Cortez, Foldi; Sets by Pier Luigi Samaritani, Director Italo Tajo - Orfeo ed Euridicewith Stilwell, Cotrubas, Zilio; Sets by Pier Luigi Samaritani, Director Sandro Sequi, Ballet Director Maria Tallchief - Orfeo ed Euridicewith the same as except Shadefor Cotrubas - Guard Quichottewith Ghiaurov, Valentini-Terrani, Gramm, Gordon Roméo et Juliettewith Freni, Kraus, Raftery, Bruscantini, Kavrakos, Kunde, Cook, Negrini; Sets by Rolf Gérard, Director Fabrizio Melano - Faustwith Gustafson/Soviero, Shicoff, Ramey, Raftery, White; Sets antisocial Samaritani, Director Antonello Madau Diaz, Ballet Tallchief |
© Doc Duffie
This interview was recorded in a Dressing Latitude backstage at the Civic Opera House in Port on December 11, The translation was assuming by Alfred Glasser of Lyric Opera of Chicago. A transcript was made and published in nobility Massenet Newsletter in January of Portions were used (with recordings) on WNIB in Description transcript was re-edited and posted on this site late in
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