Ernest Guiraud's 'Chasse Fantastique'

[edurban]

'Tales of Hoffman' is back at the Met Opera, bringing thoughts of the New Orleans-born composer Guiraud, who composed the recits, and arranged and orchestrated what had been left incomplete at Offenbach's untimely death. Guiraud also wrote the recits for his friend Bizet's Carmen after Bizet's death, arranged the Arlesienne Suite No. 2, and completed Delibes last opera.  This paragon of good friends would eventually receive similar services from Dukas and Saint-Saens, who completed his only grand opera Fredegonde after Guiraud died at 54.

What does Guiraud sound like on his own?  Well, there's a charming little Caprice for violin and orchestra recorded by Graffin on Hyperion, but more substantially, a symphonic poem: 'Chasse Fantastique' recorded in lp days by the Louisville orchestra under Jorge Mester, and available to listen to here:

http://artofthestates.org/cgi-bin/piece.pl?pid=275

A wonderful piece, full of energy and good tunes.  It reminds me of 'The Sorceror's Apprentice', which was written about 5 years later.

Best, David

[JimL]

If I'm not mistaken, the program for Guiraud's piece is the same ballad used by Franck for his symphonic poem Le Chausseur Maudit.

[Mark Thomas]

Ah, Guiraud's Chasse Fantastique has always been a favourite, since I bought it on that old grey Louisville LP back in the 1970s... I have a radio dub of an orchestral suite of his which is equally inventive and enjoyable. Not a composer to be sniffed at.

[JimL]

I'm trying to remember what else was on that old LP.  Wasn't it Rosand in the Moszkowski Violin Concerto? 

[edurban]

Not Rosand, Charles Treger!

Best, David

[Alan Howe]

Since we've been talking about Guiraud, I thought I'd resurrect this thread:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8XErBaSeGw

Somewhere between Saint-Saëns and Wagner, perhaps?

[eschiss1]

The YouTube comment thread, or do we have a thread here about that? ...

[eschiss1]

MPH has the full score, by the way.

[Alan Howe]

The YouTube comment thread, or do we have a thread here about that? ...

Just about this particular piece of music.