This anthology of Charles Koechlin’s chamber music for flute, clarinet, and piano symbolically opens with a Pastorale (1917-18) and ends with a Stèle funéraire (1950). Just as appropriately, the performers have placed the Sonatine modale for flute and clarinet (1935-36) right in the middle. Even though composed within a 33-year time span, these works display striking continuity and similarities. Peaceful archaic modality and gentle mournful monody represent the signature of Koechlin’s style. His pastoral atmosphere and obsessively linear writing permeate every bit of music on this CD.
Dedicated to the famous blonde actress Lilian Harvey, to whom the composer vowed an extraordinary devotion, the lively Album de Lilian displays discreet charm and invention. (He similarly composed a Seven Stars Symphony after seven famous Hollywood stars.) The nine pieces have naïve or esoteric titles that mirror their musical qualities: En route vers le bonheur (On the way to happiness), Sérénade à l’étoile errante (Serenade to the wandering star), or La prière de l’homme (The man’s prayer). The final Stèle funéraire is a sober, moving monody for solo flute, full of melancholy and inspired by the music of Ancient Greece. Taken with moderation, Koechlin’s miniatures have a soothing quality well worth experiencing. Performances and recording are precise and considerate toward the music’s intimate mood.
