Visions of Innocence Chabrier, Stravinsky and Debussy

John Eliot Gardiner Conducts Chabrier, Stravinsky and Debussy With Isabelle Faust

Visions of innocence evoke an ethereal glimpse into a world untouched by the burdens of experience, where purity lingers untainted by complexities and disillusionments. These fleeting moments capture the quiet wonder of childhood or the idealised past, reflecting a realm of endless possibilities.

Emmanuel Chabrier: Suite pastoral and España

Emmanuel Chabrier

Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894), born into a family of jurists and tradesmen in a small village in the Auvergne, worked as a civil servant in the Ministry of the Interior for 19 years. Apparently, he “was valued by his superiors for clerical meticulousness and accuracy, his calligraphic hand in correspondence and his attention to detail.” Chabrier was a clerk by day and a musician, fuelled by an obsessive admiration of Richard Wagner by night.

Chabrier was described as the “most astonishing, eccentric and prodigious pianist one could ever encounter,” and Francis Poulenc pronounced his music an “inexhaustible treasure.” Chabrier’s vision of innocence, specifically his backward glance at childhood, originated in his Pièces pittoresques for piano of 1880. César Franck exclaimed “We have just heard something extraordinary: music which links our time with that of Couperin and Rameau.” In the event, Chabrier orchestrated four pieces from this set of ten to fashion his delightful Suite pastorale.

The Suite blends simplicity with musical originality, using sophisticated harmonies to evoke nature-inspired imagery. From the murmur of trees to the charm of folk dances, Chabrier’s music combines sophistication and rustic charm that captured the admiration of his contemporaries Ravel and Debussy. Chabrier achieved his major breakthrough in 1883 with his orchestral rhapsody España, the result of recapturing the sights and sounds of a visit to the Iberian Peninsula.

Igor Stravinsky: Violin Concerto

Samuel Dushkin and Igor Stravinsky

Igor Stravinsky (1882-197) was not a violinist and apparently hated virtuoso performances, criticising “their need for seeking immediate triumphs in the music.” However, this vision of innocence was quickly corrected when he met the Polish-American violinist and composer Samuel Dushkin. Dushkin, one of only two official students of Fritz Kreisler, was never considered a flashy violinist but rather a highly respected musician.

Dushkin was a forceful advocate of contemporary music, but before agreeing to the collaboration, Stravinsky first consulted his good friend Paul Hindemith. He convinces Stravinsky, who didn’t play the violin himself, that not being constrained by routine techniques would allow him to come up with fresh, innovative ideas for his compositions.

One such innovation actually became a defining feature of the concerto. Stravinsky presented Dushkin with a challenging chord that initially seemed impossible to play. Dushkin recalled, “I had never seen a chord with such an enormous stretch and said no.” But when he tried out the chord at home, he found that the stretch of the eleventh was relatively easy to play, and he became fascinated by the sound. In the end, as you can hear in the performance by Isabelle Faust, that particular chord appears at the start of each movement.

Claude Debussy: Ibéria

Claude Debussy, 1905

Physically, Claude Debussy (1862-1918) spent a mere hours in Spain. The Spain he conjured in Ibéria, the second of three pieces he composed under the title Images pour orchestre between 1905 and 1912, is drawn almost exclusively from his imagination. It evokes a vivid vision of Spain through subtle rhythms, polyphonic textures, and an elegant and evocative style.

Manuel de Falla heard in Ibéria “The echoes from the villages, a kind of sevillana which seems to float in a clear atmosphere of scintillating light; the intoxicating spell of Andalusian nights, the festive gaiety of a people dancing to the joyous strains of a banda of guitars and bandurrias… all these whirls in the air, approaches and recedes, and our imagination is continually kept awake and dazzled by the power of an intensely expressive and richly varied music.”

De Falla also praised Debussy for capturing Spain’s essence through fundamental elements of popular music instead of attempting to communicate via authentic folk songs. The first movement, “Along the streets and along the paths,” features lively rhythms with woodwinds, castanets, and plucked strings, as the main theme flows through different variations. The second movement, “The scents of the night,” creates a dreamy atmosphere with muted strings, winds, and percussion, while “The morning of a festival day” provides an exuberant and flamboyant conclusion.