Thérèse Brenet's "Le Fascinateur with poetry by Jean-Pierre Luminet

Thérèse Brenet has written many works inspired by the Cosmos and Space. Her most recently published work is a trio with narrator which uses the poetry of astrophysicist Jean-Pierre Luminet. From the composer's notes:

Le Fascinateur is scored for narrator, celtic harp, piano and percussion.

The texts are taken from a poem by the astrophysicist Jean-Pierre Luminet. Nous nous étions plu, in Griphes, followed by Topiques, (Gérard Oberlé, Manoir de Pron, Nivernais, 1989).

The juxtaposition suggests in epigram a quotation from Gaston Bachelard, which could apply to the musical score with an equal pertinence, since the music is, for Thérèse Brenet, the echo of the Cosmos

“All of the words which are called to greatness by a poet are the keys to the universe, to the double universe of the cosmos and of the depths of the human soul.”

The work is available on the composer's page at our website. It will be recorded in a few months under the musical direction of Jean Thorel.

Divertissement dans le Style Louis XV by Germaine Tailleferre

In 1935, Germaine Tailleferre wrote the theater music for a play by Jean Sarment about Madame de Pompadour and Louis XV of France, Madame Quinze. In addition to the orchestra of the Comédie Française, where the work was produced, the musical forces included the Société de la Musique Ancienne, which was composed of members of the Casadesus Family playing viols and harpsichord.

Tailleferre further revised the work for another production in 1950, re-orchestrating some of the movements for smaller forces and adding further military sequences. Her score, which had been given as a gift to the French architect and stage designer André Boll, was bequeathed to the Paris Opera Library after Boll's death. The performance materials for the 1950 production are currently located at the Library of the Comédie Française.

Musik Fabrik has published this work, with several performance editions also available. These editions are:

Divertissement dans le Style Louis XV for orchestra with early instruments (011(bscl)0/2200/tymp/perc/cel/strings plus 4 violes and harpsichord), complete score with performance notes (parts on rental)


Divertissement pour violes for 4 viols, score and parts

Sonneries dans le Style Louis XV for 3 Trumpets and field drum (with an alternative version of 1 piece for 4 trumpets, and one work with 2 trumpets/Tympani/snare drum/bass drum), score and parts

Suite dans le Style Louis XV for harpsichord or piano (five movements)

Trois Petites Danses dans le Style Louis XV for 2 oboes and 2 bassoons, with arrangements of two marches by Lully

Trois Petites Danses dans le Style Louis XV The same music orchestrated for oboe, violin, viola, violoncello and harpsichord

More information about the work is available at this page at the Musik Fabrik site.