French composer Denis Levaillant (b. 1952), known for his cross-stylistic compositions in film and jazz, musical shows and improvisations, and his ability to mix genres, has compiled a set of melodies from his catalogue of works dating from 1978 to 2018. Over these 40 years, Levaillant has written music for choreographers and the theatre, for the opera house and for ballet, and for film and musical theatre. What’s gathered here are the melodies and harmonies, and, in the hands of pianist Nicolas Horvath, the musical lines spin out and catch the imagination.
Denis Levaillant
Nicolas Horvath
One of the most interesting pieces on the album is the music that started in a 1993 musical theatre show, Piano Circus, which the composer created with magician Abdul Alafrez. The doll in question was the composer’s confidante, and the ballad, Ballade de la poupée, was sung by the doll. Later, he reused the music for a ballet commissioned by the Paris National Opera, La Petite danseuse de Degas. A reconstruction of the life and hard times of the dancer that Degas immortalised in his sculpture, Petite danseuse de quatorze ans, the ballet follows the child dancer through her career dancing, posing as a model, and her subsequent descent into prostitution.
Degas: Petite danseuse de quatorze ans,1881 (Musée d’Orsay)
The little dancer continues to fascinate today.
Denis Levaillant: Ballade de la Poupée
In his notes to the album, the composer comments on La Ballade de la poupée, saying: ‘I still hope that a great song will be born from this melody’.
The collection, entitled Piano Works No. 8, is intended as a point of inspiration for listeners to both create songs from his melodies and to explore his other works more deeply. From opera to ballet to pop music, there’s something for everyone.
Nicolas Horvath takes this mass of music and takes it from being a miscellany of music to being a coherent overview of a composer’s work through the medium of the piano.
Denis Levaillant: Daydreams: Piano Works No. 8, Piano Songs, Vol. 1 and 2
Nicolas Horvath, piano
Azure Sky AZ1025
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