Jean-Michel Damase

World Premiere Recording

Pour interpréter ses oeuvres plus récentes, mais non moins passionnantes, c’est à Rachel Talitman que Damase a fait appel, lui confiant ainsi symboliquement la lourde succession de la grande Lily ! Ses partenaires – tous excellents – sont Luc Loubry au basson, benoit Fromanger à la flute et Pierre-Henry Xuereb à l’alto.
Un disque attachant, des pièces fort récentes qui sont de vraies découvertes, et une Rachel Talitman dont la musicalité permet de découvrir au détour des pages de Damase toutes les couleurs les plus subtiles de la harpe.

« www.harpissimo.com« 

Jean-Michel Damase
Born in 1928 in Bordeaux into a musical family, his mother being the renown harpist and mu-
sician Micheline Kahn, Jean-Michel Damase showed precocious musical talent. His studies
began at an early age: when he was five he began to attend the Samuel-Rousseau courses in
piano and solfège. When he was twelve, he became a pupil of Cortot at the École Normale de
Musique de Paris, and in the next year he joined Armand Ferté’s piano classes at the Paris
Conservatoire. In 1943, he was unanimously awarded the Premier Prix in piano at the Conser-
vatoire. Two years later he entered Busser’s composition classes and began to study harmony
and counterpoint with Dupré. At nineteen, he won the first prize in composition with his Quin-
tet and his cantata “Et la Belle se reveille” (And Beauty Awakened) won him the Prix de
Rome. Damase’s youthful compositional maturity helped to foster a considerable technical
facility and he has produced a great deal of music in a style that is attractive and elegant, re-
maining close to the traditions of the Conservatoire. All his works show deep knowledge of the
possibilities of instruments, and his orchestration is rich, full and varied; evidenced most nota-
bly in the chamber and concertante works. He is also great lover of ballet and a close friend of
several leading choreographers. His first ballet score was “La Croqueuse de diamants” (The
Diamond Cruncher) written for Roland Petit and first produced at the Marigny Theatre in Paris.
He was awarded the Grand Prix Musical de la SACD (Société des Auteurs et Compositeurs
Dramatiques) and the Grand Prix de la Ville de Paris.
This recording proposes 4 concerti for the harp, the composer’s favourite instrument, to which
he adds successively a flute, a viola and a bassoon. The Concerto for bassoon, harp and strings
is dedicated to Harp & Co-soloists Rachel Talitman and Luc Loubry, and was recorded here in
world premiere conducted by the composer himself.
Balade, Duo Concertant Flute and Harp, Concerto for Viola and Harp
© Editions Henry Lemoine, Paris

BENOIT FROMANGER
Was born in Paris. Since April 2004 he is Professor at the Hans Eisler Hochschule für Musik in Berlin. He
studied the flute at the CNR in Versailles and at the CNSM in Paris with Roger Bourdin, Alain Marion and
Jean-Pierre Rampal. For ten years he was solo-flute player of the orchestre de l’ Opéra de Paris, later at the Radio Symphony orchestra of Bavaria ( conductor: Lorin Maazel). During his long career as orchestra musi-
cian and as solist he worked with prominent conductors such as L.Bernstein, B. Haitink, Z. Mehta, C.M. Giulini, D.Barenboim, P.Boulez, C.Davis, G.Nowak, G.Solti, C.Kleiber, R.Muti ,M.Jansons. He has also participated in various music festivals and played with world famous orchestras such as l’Orchestre Philar-
monique de Radio-France, l’Orchestre d’Auvergne, l’Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, les “Baroques Solistes” de Munich, l’Orchestre de chambre de Munich, l’Orchestre de Chambre d’Europe, l’Orchestre de
chambre de Prague, the American Chamber Orchestra, l’Orchestre de la radio KBS de Séoul, la Capella
Andrea Barca etc… In his versatile performing career he played with prominent musicians such as Andras
Schiff, Jessye Norman, Carolyn Carlson, Patrick Dupond, Katia et Marielle Labèque, Maxim Vengerov, Sting, Olivier Nivet, Misha Maïski, Claude Bolling, Juliette Hurel, Rachel Talitman ,Bud, Alessandro Bar-
rico, Viktoria Mullova, Gérard Depardieu etc….

BENOIT FROMANGER
Né à Paris, Benoit Fromanger est depuis avril 2004 professeur à l’Université (Hochschule für Musik)“Hans
Eisler” de Berlin. Il étudie la flûte au CNR de Versailles et au CNSM de Paris avec d’éminents professeurs
tels que Roger Bourdin, Alain Marion et Jean-Pierre Rampal.
Super soliste de l’orchestre de l’Opéra de Paris pendant dix années, puis de l’orchestre symphonique de la
Radio Bavaroise (dir: Lorin Maazel). Son intérêt pour l’orchestre et sa curiosité l’on donc emmené en
Allemagne, lui permettant d’enrichir ses connaissances musicales en côtoyant des chefs tels que
L.Bernstein, B. Haitink, Z. Mehta, C.M. Giulini, D.Barenboim, P.Boulez, C.Davis, G.Nowak, G.Solti, C.Kleiber, R.Muti ,M.Jansons…et d’être invité par l’Orchestre Philarmonique de Berlin ainsi que par l’Or-
chestre du Festival de Bayreuth. Parallèlement, il poursuit une carrière de soliste international,jouant le répertoire pour flûte ainsi que des oeuvres dont il est le dédicataire. Il se produit dans de nombreux festivals
et d’importantes salles de concerts, accompagné par des orchestres tels que: l’Orchestre Philarmonique de
Radio-France, l’Orchestre d’Auvergne, l’Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, les “Baroques Solistes” de
Munich, l’Orchestre de chambre de Munich, l’Orchestre de Chambre d’Europe, l’Orchestre de chambre de
Prague, the American Chamber Orchestra, l’Orchestre de la radio KBS de Séoul ,la Capella Andrea Barca
etc…
B.F varie ses expériences en prenant place dans de nombreux spectacles,concerts et ensembles de musique de chambre en jouant avec: Andras Schiff, Jessye Norman,Carolyn Carlson, Patrick Dupond, Katia et Ma-
rielle Labèque, Maxim Vengerov, Sting,Olivier Nivet, Misha Maïski,Claude Bolling, Juliette Hurel, Rachel Talitman,