≈ History ≈ {Based on materials from AllMusic & Hyperion.com} The fact that he was born in Venezuela notwithstanding, Reynaldo Hahn (1874-1947) is often considered an archetypal French composer, and in fact he was only 3 years old when his family settled in Paris. The boy made his singing debut aged 6 at the salon of the Princesse Mathilde de Metternich accompanying himself on the piano. At the age of 10, Hahn already entered the Paris Conservatoire, studying under the venerable Gounod and Massenet {Cortot and Ravel were among his fellow students }. At 13 the young composer wrote the Hugo setting "Si mes vers avaient des ailes" which was published later by "Le Figaro" and became an instant "hit". Hahn's first stage composition was incidental music for Daudet's "L'obstacle" (1890); his first opera to reach the stage was the three-act "L'île du rêve", performed in Paris at the Opéra-Comique in 1898. In the 20th century, Hahn continued to enjoy a career as noteworthy conductor, while in theater he scored a triumph with the operetta "Ciboulette" (1923). Moreover, for many years he was the influential music critic of "Le Figaro". After World War II Hahn made a brief return to the public eye in 1945 when he was appointed the director of the Paris Opera. ≈ Music ≈ Hahn can be best described as a steadfast conservative in the vein of Saint-Saens: for him, Fauré was the last of the great composers. At its best, Hahn's music possesses restrained lyricism and well-judged contrasts between the melody and the accompaniment. Though by no means a one-hit-wonder, Hahn is principally, if not exclusively, known by the virtues of "Si mes vers". However, I personally find the charming romance "A Chloris" to be a piece that attains a greater level of perfection. Often considered a pastiche because of the dynamic bass line that is modeled directly on the familiar arrangement of Bach's Orchestral Suite No. 3 in D major - Air on the G string - the song is a reflection on the pastoral song in both musical character and text {Chloris is a common generic name for Arcadian shepherdesses and nymphs}. In the present case, we are dealing with a modern arrangement of the mélodie {a cor anglais replaces the voice}. The quite charming orchestration is noted below. Though seemingly straightforward, the piece is de facto in four distinct sections. The brief prelude immediately establishes an atmosphere of unfeigned innocence and rapture in the elegant figurations of the flute {the lovely trio of "falls" at the beginning becomes a unifying motive throughout the piece} over the hushed tones of the strings and the steady pulse in the bassoon. After a pause the cor anglais begins a disarming romanza, while the remaining forces restate the opening of the prelude as an accompaniment to the first phrases of the soloist who, in the original vocal version, at last realizes the depth of Chloris' affection {0:39}. The following material finds the cor anglais moving through a luminous ascent {originally setting the words "not even kings could know happiness such as mine"} that is closely followed by the strings, the flute returning for another repeat of its melody {1:06}. Strikingly, the themes stated, respectively, by the cor anglais and the flute actually overlap only at select places {1:17 & 2:06} and are virtually independent from one another, though both are bound by constancy of the bass line and, indeed, help define one another: the former - a sensual late Romantic aria, the latter - a tender recollection of a lost past. The third section of the mélodie shifts to a more contemplative mood, as the protagonist considers how easily death could ruin his bliss in a sustained lament over a shifting string accompaniment {1:46}. Both the flute and the bassoon are notably absent. The final bipartite section of the piece sees the return of the steadfast bass line and finds the flute providing a muted echo of its principal descending figure, as the cor anglais engages in an expressive monologue, in the original – an acceptance of the soloist of such a grim possibility in light of the loving glance from his beloved Chloris {2:14}. The episode is repeated in an elegant variation {2:52}. Wonderfully, the prelude is restated to bring the whole mélodie to a serene end {3:29}. All in all, a benchmark of the French art song. ≈ Score ≈ The sheet for the melodie is readily available on IMSLP: http://conquest.imslp.info/files/imglnks/usimg/8/8f/IMSLP84958-PMLP173430-a_chloris_annotated.pdf ≈ Recording ≈ The song has been recorded in an ideal vocal rendition by Susan Graham/Roger Vignoles for Sony. In view of the version's presence on YouTube I ultimately chose the wonderfully fresh rendition by the oboist Albrecht Mayer and the Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields from the 2010 Decca Bonjour Paris album. Hope you’ll enjoy =)!

• published: 19 Aug 2014
• views: 8117