Jean Françaix: Trio for Oboe, Bassoon, and Piano (1994)

00:00 - I. Adagio (to Allegro moderato) 03:54 - II. Scherzo: Risoluto 07:21 - III. Andante 11:11 - IV. Finale _____ Bassoon: Julien Hardy Oboe: Frédéric Tardy Piano: Simon Zauoi Year of Recording: 2015 _____ “Jean Francaix was a modern French composer very much in the Neo-Classical tradition of Poulenc: he eschewed the trends of atonality and the rejection of traditional form, choosing wit, color and a supple lightness in the service of producing musical “pleasure.“ Prolific throughout his life, Françaix was a piano virtuoso, an active performer, a skilled orchestrator and a composer in myriad forms and ensembles. As was characteristic of many great French composers, Françaix had a skillful penchant for the wind instruments. A relatively recent work, his Trio for Oboe, Bassoon and Piano was commissioned by the International Double Reed Society for their 24th Festival in 1994. The Trio is astonishing as “classical“ chamber music for its modernity and its accessibility. In the tradition of Neo-Classicism, the music is simultaneously familiar from the past, yet new and different, undeniably of the present. But where the original Neo-classicists looked to the 18th century and earlier for their inspiration, Françaix, in this work, seems to look back within his own lifespan. In a new loop of Neo-Classical spirit, the music evokes the popular sounds of a young modernism in the early 20th century: syncopated urban rhythms, musical theatre, the exuberance and occasional plaintive nostalgia of contemporary man. The distinction between popular and classical vocabulary blurs such that one is tempted to prefer terms like “art music“ or simply “quality music“. What makes Françaix’s music unmistakably “chamber music“, besides the obvious nature of the ensemble, is the exquisite detail and complexity of his composition, the virtuosic demands placed on the performer, and the expert use of the idiomatic, natural qualities of highly evolved classical instruments. Françaix’s thoughts are as refreshing as his music. His words are worth quoting at some length: “Jean FrançaixIt’s difficult for a composer to talk about his own works. If he praises them, he is accused of boasting; if he disparages them, he is considered guilty of false modesty. If he dissects them into theme A, theme B, musicologists will applaud, but musicians will find him boring. If the work is of any value, it will need no explanation; if it is of no value, no esoteric commentary will render it any better . . . All I ask my listeners is to open their ears and be brave enough to decide whether they like my music or not. I don’t want any intermediary between me and my listeners trying to sway their judgment one way or the other. They should remember they are free human beings, not obedient automata. I want them to crush snobbery, fashion and envy with the power of common sense and to enjoy my music if it gives them pleasure; which of course I hope it does . . .“ (Kai Christensen) _____ © COPYRIGHT Disclaimer, Under Section 107 of the Copyright Act 1976. Allowance is made for “fair use“ for purposes such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research. Fair use is a use permitted by copyright statute that might otherwise be infringing. Non-profit, educational or personal use tips the balance in favor of fair use.