Frank Martin: Les Quatre Elements (The Four Elements)/In Terra Pax

1. The Four Elements, for orchestra
Composed by Frank Martin
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra Conducted by Matthias Bamert

2. In Terra Pax, oratorio for soloists, chorus & orchestra
Composed by Frank Martin
Performed by Brighton Festival Chorus with Martyn Hill , Judith Howarth , Della Jones , Roderick Williams
Conducted by Laszlo Heltay

Frank Martin: Les Quatre Elements (The Four Elements)/In Terra Pax,Roderick Williams,Stephen Roberts [baritone],Frank Martin,Laszlo Heltay,Matthias Bamert,Brighton Festival Chorus,London Philharmonic Orchestra,Judith Howarth,Martyn Hill,Della Jones,Chandos,20th/21st Century Orchestral Work with Descriptive Title,Choral,Classical,Classical Composers,Classical Music,Oratorio,Orchestral

Average customer rating: Wonderfully Colorful "Elements," Solid "In Terra Pax"

Frank Martin: Les Quatre Elements (The Four Elements)/In Terra Pax Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Martin | Martin, Frank | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Oratorios | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: Frank Martin: 4 Sonnets à Cassandre; Piano Quintet; Violin Sonata Frank Martin: Symphonie, for Large Orchestra / Symphonie Concertante, for Large Orchestra / Passacaglia, for Large Orchestra - Matthias Bamert Frank Martin: Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments, Percussion & Strings / Studies for String Orchestra / Erasmi monumentum - Matthias Bamert Martin: Petite symphonie concertante; In Terra Pax Martin: Ballades ASIN: B000000AZC Release Date: 1996-05-21

Tracks:

1. Le quatres elements (The Four Elements): La terre: Molto lento
2. Le quatres elements (The Four Elements): L'eau: Allegro moderato
3. Le quatres elements (The Four Elements): L'air: Allegretto leggiero
4. Le quatres elements (The Four Elements): Le feu: Allegro agitato
5. In terra pax: Premiere partie: No. 1 'Lorsque l'Agneau rompit le premier sceau': Con moto
6. In terra pax: Premiere partie: No. 2 'Mon Dieu, Mon Dieu': Andante quasi largo
7. In terra pax: Premiere partie: No. 3 'Malheur au peuple charge de peches!': Allegro furioso
8. In terra pax: No. 4 'Eternel, Dieu de mon salut': Molto moderato
9. In terra pax: Deuieme partie: No. 5 'Sentinelle, que dis-tu de la nuit?': Adagio
10. In terra pax: Deuxieme partie: No. 6 'Mais les tenebres ne regneront pas toujours': Andante
11. In terra pax: Deuxieme partie: No. 7 'Consolez mon peuple': Con moto
12. In terra pax: Troisieme partie: No. 8 'Voici, mon serviteur': Largo
13. In terra pax: Trousieme partie: No. 9 'Heureux les affliges': Andante molto tranquillo
14. In terra pax: Troisieme partie: No. 10 'Notre Pere, qui es aux cieux': Adagio
15. In terra pax: Quatrieme partie: No. 11 'Puis je vis un nouveau ciel': Allegro moderato

Customer Reviews:

Wonderfully Colorful "Elements," Solid "In Terra Pax".......2001-04-09

Frank Martin wrote The 4 Elements (1963-4) for a concert celebrating the 80th birthday of Ernest Ansermet, choosing to paint a portrait of the conductor as "master of the orchestra playing iridescently with Debussy or Ravel." Martin's pleasure in exploiting the resources of a large symphony orchestra is evident in the wonderfully varied & subtle colors he obtains as he evokes the feelings experienced in observing the natural phenomena of Earth, Water, Air & Fire. It's immediately appealing music that, like virtually every work by Martin I know, reveals new riches with each hearing. In this performance, conducting, playing & engineering capture the rich sonorities of the score beautifully - one of the best recordings in this valuable Chandos series. (There is also an excellent, less lushly recorded live performance from 1965 by Bernard Haitink & the Concertgebouw Orchestra [Preludio PRL 2147] with a fine version of Martin's Cello Concerto.) In Terra Pax (1944), Martin's great oratorio commissioned for the end of hostilities at the end of World War II, hasn't lacked for recordings: besides Ansermet's landmark 1962 recording (still available on Decca 448 264-2) I know of 4 CD versions, including this one. Martin's setting of Biblical texts, selected & ordered with his usual acuity, still carries profound conviction, both in the dramatic movements, such as the terrifying vision of the Apocalypse & the scenes of rejoicing at the coming of peace (earthly & celestial), & in the deep religious contemplation of Part III, which incorporates sublime settings of the Beatitudes & the Lord's Prayer. This performance has 5 good soloists, a fine chorus & orchestra, yet somehow lacks a crucial measure of inner fire & outer momentum (the overlong pauses between movements don't help). If you want The 4 Elements, you won't be disappointed; if you're after a modern version of In Terra Pax, try the 1990 one on Cascavelle VEL 1014 conducted by Michel Corboz, especially as the coupling is the sole recording (from 1975) of Martin's beautiful final work, the cantata Et la vie l'emporta.

Average customer rating: Top Choice for 2 Fine Martin Pieces Returns

Frank Martin: The Cello Concerto, The Four Elements Manufacturer: Doron ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Martin | Martin, Frank | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00030EEX6 Release Date: 2005-01-25

Customer Reviews:

Top Choice for 2 Fine Martin Pieces Returns.......2005-05-08

This is a very welcome reissue of 2 neglected masterpieces by the great Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974), in 1st rate performances by a world-class orchestra & conductor. Both works were written in the early 1960s, & the live versions here date from 1970 (Cello Concerto) & 1965 (The 4 Elements). The 2nd movement of the Concerto, composed for cellist Pierre Fournier, is one of the greatest stretches of music Martin ever wrote, a minor-key saraband that builds to an impressive, passionate climax. Flanking it are 2 movements of equal quality, the 1st spinning off from a beautiful folk-like modal theme (heard unaccompanied on the cello at the start) & the 3rd governed by nervous, taut syncopations. A fine piece that deserves to be recorded as frequently as Martin's earlier Violin Concerto. Jean De Croos is the flawless soloist here.
The 4 Elements is unusual in Martin's mature orchestral oeuvre in being a work for large symphony orchestra & not a concertante piece (that is, one featuring a soloist or soloists). It is a conscious homage to the French tradition of nature painting & orchestral color in music, & to the great conductor Ernest Ansermet & his way with the music of Debussy & Ravel. Martin was very responsive to the sights & sounds around him, yet it was rare for him to attempt to translate the emotions roused in him by natural sights into music. So the 4 movements of The 4 Elements - Earth, Water, Air & Fire - really show another aspect of Martin's rich & profound artistic personality. It also gives the Concertgebouw Orchestra a chance to show off its many colors, which it does splendidly under Bernard Haitink's excellent direction.
Indeed, for me both performances remain top choice for these 2 works, despite a very good studio version of the Cello Concerto by Stephen Kates (Louisville), & a sonically lush rendition of The 4 Elements by Matthias Bamert & the Royal Philharmonic (Chandos). The sound in both pieces is excellent. Highly recommended; grab this CD while it's available.

Average customer rating: Outstanding Live Recordings of 2 Strong Martin Works

Frank Martin: The Cello-Concerto/The Four Elements Manufacturer: Prelude ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD All Works by Martin | Martin, Frank | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Cello | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000003DJM Release Date: 1996-04-16

Customer Reviews:

Outstanding Live Recordings of 2 Strong Martin Works.......2004-01-29

These live performances of 2 works by the great Swiss composer Frank Martin (1890-1974) are not only of historical importance - both bear the imprimatur of "composer supervised" - but superb versions by any standard, & very well recorded too. Dating from 1965 ("The 4 Elements") & 1970 (Cello Concerto), they find conductor Bernard Haitink & the Concertgebouw Orchestra in top form, with Jean DeCroos, the orchestra's principal cellist, a fine advocate for the concerto.
Martin's orchestral works of the 1960s are much less well known than those of the 1940s, such as his masterpiece the "Petite Symphonie Concertante" or the "Concerto for 7 Wind Instruments." More's the pity. "The 4 Elements" (1963-64) shows him for once exploring the coloristic possibilities of a full symphony orchestra: the work, in which each movement explores one of the 4 elements, was written to celebrate the 80th birthday of Martin's champion, the conductor Ernest Anserment, & specifically to honor Ansermet's performances of Debussy & Ravel with his Suisse Romande Orchestra. The music evokes the "influence [of nature] on our mind, the emotion it awakes in us.[...] these feelings are very special: all those who love nature will understand." It's one of Martin's most colorful yet subtle scores, beautifully realized here; perhaps not his most profound, but showing another attractive side of his musical personality.
The Cello Concerto (1965-66), composed for Pierre Fournier, is a more intimate work, with solo opportunities for piano, harp & saxophone as well as powerful passages which use the full weight of the orchestra. The first movement is built on a broad, folk-like modal melody, introduced by solo cello, which Martin then subjects to imaginative harmonization. The second movement is a tragic sarabande, one of Martin's most powerful & affecting inspirations. The third, with its nervous, quirky syncopations, brings the concerto to an exciting close.
Alternative performances are few. Matthias Bamert recorded "The Four Elements" with the London Philharmonic as part of his fine Martin series (Chandos CHAN 9465, with the oratorio "In Terra Pax")): the playing & sound are suitably lush, even spectacular, though I marginally prefer Haitink's reading. The 1967 performance of the Cello Concerto with Fournier (Cascavelle VEL 2001), recorded live a week after he had given the premiere (with another conductor & orchestra) is disappointing, not for Fournier's contribution but for Ansermet & the Suisse Romande's uncharacteristically unsettled performance - it sounds as though they hadn't had enough rehearsal to get the piece "under their belts." Here Haitink & DeCroos must be first choice. [Update: First Edition Music has released the Louisville Orchestra's pioneering 1973 studio version of the Cello Concerto (FECD-0020) with Stephen Kates, cello and Jorge Mester conducting, a very fine performance which furthermore appears to incorporate Martin's final revisions, notably to the very last chord of the work. Coupled with a sensitive 1963 version of the earlier (1950) Violin Concerto, this is a worthwhile disc.] Strongly recommended.

Track Listings:

1. Frederick Stock & The Chicago Symphony
2. Froberger: Pieces de Clavessin
3. Glagolitic Mass
4. Gould: String Music; Piano Concerto
5. Gouvy: Piano Trios 2 & 3
6. Gregorian Chants: Gallican Responses and Monodies
7. Grieg: Piano Concerto, Op. 16; Lyric Pieces (Selection)
8. Hauer: Salambo
9. Holiday Joy
10. J. S. Bach: Concertos [Box set]

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

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Gospel at It's Best

Die Wiener Philharmoniker auf dem Weg zum Neujahrskonzert

Happy Trails: The Roy Rogers Collection, 1937-1990 [Box set]

Elmo Hope Trio

End Hits

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Frying the Fat

Sonatas for Recorder

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