Composer of the Week: Tailleferre

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Composer of the Week

Music: Classical

An informative guide to composers' lives and their music.

An informative and accessible guide to composers' lives and their music.

Composer of the Week: Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983): The new Romeo and Juliet

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The new Romeo and Juliet

Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)

BBC Radio 3 - Composer of the Week, Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983), The new Romeo and Juliet

Kate Molleson follows Tailleferre's activities in America, including a whirlwind marriage.

Kate Molleson follows Tailleferre's activities in America during the 1920s. As her professional horizons widen, a chance meeting leads to a whirlwind proposal of marriage.

Kate Molleson follows Tailleferre activities in America in the 1920s. As her professional horizons widen, a chance meeting leads to a whirlwind proposal of marriage. 

Germaine Tailleferre first made a splash in the heady atmosphere of 1920s Paris. She was part of a lively, bohemian scene in which poetry and exhibitions went hand in hand with performances of new music. Her career was given a bump start by the eccentric older composer, Eric Satie. He was an influential voice in avant-garde circles, and his support opened a door to wider recognition. Tailleferre became part of a like-minded set of young composers, along with Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, Darius Milhaud, Louis Durey and Georges Auric. Their energy and drive created exciting new outlets for performances of their music. It was a journalist, Henri Collet, who coined their eventual collective name "Les Six". While their artistic paths quickly diversified, the group remained friends for the rest of their lives.

Tailleferre was a prolific composer, writing in all the genres from small scale chamber works to large scale works including cantatas, orchestral scores, ballets and operas. After enjoying considerable success, by the 1930s her prominence began to fade. There's some evidence to suggest that her two unhappy marriages, and the deprivations of living in occupied France, followed by a temporary exile in the States during the Second World War, all had an adverse impact on her career. Despite these setbacks, she continued to compose and would teach music almost to the very end of her life. She died in 1983 at the age of 91.

Held back perhaps by her own retiring personality and historical views of a female composer, Tailleferre's music has been overshadowed by some of the other members of "Les Six". This week Kate Molleson brings Germaine Tailleferre's music firmly in to the limelight. She's joined in studio by two other Tailleferre enthusiasts, Barbara Kelly from the University of Leeds, and Caroline Potter, who's currently writing a book about Tailleferre.

Tailleferre was introduced to the illustrator Ralph Barton at a swanky party. The attraction between them was instantaneous, but all too soon a heartbreaking tragedy was to follow.

Violin sonata no 1  (excerpt) 
I : Modéré sans lenteur   
Malin Broman, violin 
Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano 

Fandango
Nicolas Horvath, piano 

La nouvelle Cythère (excerpts) 
Nocturne 
Pavane 
Galop 
Clinton-Narboni Duo 

Harp Concertino 
I. Allegretto
II: Lento 
III: Rondo
Gabriella Dall’Olio, harp 
Foundation Philharmonic Orchestra 
David Snell, conductor 

Chansons Françaises  
No 3 : Mon mari m‘a diffamée (Anon. XV.)   
No 4 : Vrai Dieu, qui m‘y confortera? (Anon. XV.)  
Ruby Hughes, soprano 
Anna Tilbrook, piano

Violin sonata no 1	
I: Modéré sans lenteur     
IV:  Final: très vite 
Malin Broman, violin 
Simon Crawford-Phillips, piano 

Producer: Johannah Smith

Composer of the Week: Germaine Tailleferre (1892-1983)

Live music and the arts: broadcasts more live music than any other radio network. Classical music is its core. Genres include world and new music, jazz, speech and drama.

Kate Molleson brings Germaine Tailleferre's long-overshadowed music into the limelight.

Germaine Tailleferre's music has been overshadowed by some of the other members of 'Les Six'. Kate Molleson brings Tailleferre's music firmly into the limelight.

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The new Romeo and Juliet

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