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Barraque: Complete Works (Oeuvres Completes)

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Jean Barraque, a pupil of Messiaen, was overshadowed by his famous contemporary Pierre Boulez during his brief life ( 1928-1973 ) and has remained an "underground" figure in the years since his death. The reasons for his obscurity in the musical world have been attributed by some writers to his reclusive nature, battles with alcoholism and a disastrous, short-lived relationship with a famous philosopher. Of course, those not kindly disposed to "dissonant" modern music ( whether "serial" or not ) will most likely point out his music is not well known because it is just plain bad ( I obviously beg to differ ).

I would urge those listeners who have a love ( or respect ) for music composed by earlier 20th century musicians like Bartok & Berg to listen to a few samples of this 3 CD set ( performed by the Klangforum Wien ) of Jean Barraque's complete works. There is a density and compellingly dramatic propulsion to his works ( composed from 1952-1968 ), all ( but one ) large pieces which display a grandeur foreign to most of his contemporaries in the European avant-garde. For all of the unquestionably modern "devices" Barraque employs in his works, one feels a sense of continuity with the "classical" tradition ( IE, if one includes, as I do, Schoenberg and Bartok in that line ); a continuity not present ( for better or worse ) to the same degree in works of the same era by Stockhausen and others.

Barraque's music has often been compared to early Boulez ( timbres, explosiveness, and form ). His teacher Messiaen perhaps had an influence on the vast scale of his compositions. I for one, hear many similarities between Barraque and Elliott Carter in their use of intervals. But stylistically, music critic Paul Griffiths has hit the nail on the head regarding the close aesthetic correlation between Barraque and Luigi Nono. Both composers unite a love for tradition with an urge for innovation. Both display to the highest degree the ability to make abstract music cohere in a gripping and dramatic way ( however, nothing suggests that Barraque was particularly allied with revolutionary political movements ). Barraque and Nono ( particularly in his last works ) searched with the utmost artistic "seriousness" for meaning in what was, for them, "the void". And, whether it's relevant or not, I'm fairly sure Nono himself thought highly of his French contemporary and wrote some laudatory comments about him.

Barraque's two large scale instrumental works "bookend" his short oeuvre. The "Piano Sonata" of 1952 is often compared to Pierre Boulez' 2nd Sonata but is really a unique creation and for me a far more dramatically effective piece. His valedictory "Concerto" from 1968 is one of the great works from the second half of the 20th century, on the level of Carter's "Double Concerto", Ligeti's "Lontano" and Lutoslawski's "Symphony #3". Barraque's "Concerto", a piece vibrantly alive in an almost organic way, builds through steady contrasts ( masterful orchestration and deployment of tension and release ) on a journey alternately despairing and joyful, toward a conclusion which I can only term a "mystery".

Though he composed brilliantly in purely instrumental works, most of Barraque's effort went into a project ( unfinished ) setting music to Hermann Broch's novel "The Death of Virgil". Some of these works are easier to "crack" than others. "Le Temps Restitue" for instance, seems to me to have some connection to Webern's cantatas. Perhaps others hearing this ( tenuous? ) link would find "Le Temps Restitue" easier to manage than other vocal works by Barraque.

As far as the performances ( recorded c. 1996 ), the Klangforum Wien are superior to my ears to the older recording of the "Concerto" and "Le Temps Restitue" by the Ensemble 2e2m (conducted by Paul Mefano ). However, the latter recording, being a single CD, does have the virtue of being less costly for those who are cautious about plunking down a larger amount for the complete set (the 2e2m performances are by no means poor, just less refined than the Klangforum Wien ). I would provide a note of caution regarding the CPO recording of the Piano Sonata, played by Stefan Litwin. Poor Mr. Litwin has received a lot of flack for his extraordinarily extended ( 55 minute ) performance, the sluggishness of which was not helped by his lack of color and drama. I would recommend either Herbert Henck or Pi-Hsien Chen on their vastly superior recordings ( trimmed down to some 45 minutes and played with passion and flair ).

Jean Barraque (1928-1973 ) completed only seven works in a relatively brief period spanning 1950-1968. This excellent recording contains all seven pieces. A student of Messiaen, he embarked on his career as part of the post-war avant garde ( Boulez,Stockhausen,Berio, et al ). While following some of the dictates of "serial" composition, Barraque seems to me to have possessed a unique gift for creating a sustained drama ( 4 of his pieces are over 35 minutes long ) out of complex materials. I recommend this recording to anyone who enjoys Carter, Lutoslawski, or Messiaen. In fact, you might find it interesting to compare some of the following Barraque pieces with those of his contemporary, Pierre Boulez. Barraque's PIANO SONATA with Boulez' 2ND PIANO SONATA / Barraque's SEQUENCE with Boulez' LE MARTEAU SANS MAITRE / Barraque's AU DELA DU HASARD with Boulez' PLI SELON PLI / Barraque's CONCERTO with Boulez' DOMAINES. While there are similarities, especially in terms of their refined use of timbre in orchestration (developing the innovations Debussy and Webern made), I would say that Barraque presents a more forceful sense of drama than the more (purposefully) elusive Boulez. The CONCERTO ( the first piece on the recording ) is the perfect place to start if you've never heard Barraque. I've listened to this piece (on a different recording) for a number of years and I'm still enchanted; it holds its own against the best works of Carter, Lutoslawski, Messiaen and Boulez.

I strongly recommend this set, and agree with the previous two posters. But the performance of the "Piano Sonata" is curiously slow and lifeless. I had to supplement this box with another recording of the Sonata (P-h Chen, the only other performer I've heard, is much better).

Marin CA is dead-on about Barraque. For various reasons he's not as well known as other contemporary composers, but he's certainly one of the top five or so of the second half-century. His music is superior to Boulez's, as the instinctual artist is always superior to the theorist (think of Berg and Schoenberg). Marin CA is again right about the company Barraque keeps: Carter and Lutoslawski are the only contemporary composers whose ouvre compare (surely Messiaen, unlike these others, becomes tiresome after a while). To have Barraque's complete works on one 3 disc set is a godsend. It's all good, but especially the great cantata, Le Mort de Virgile. Well worth the price.

There are already many words posted about Barraque in this review section. Rather than duplicate them, I'll attempt to extend them a bit.

The fertile circle of Messiaen, Boulez, et al, had a profound influence on Barraque. He had apparently completed a number of Romantically-influenced pieces in the years prior, and he immediately destroyed them. in the early years, this group was perhaps most interested in overthrowing the Ancien Regime as they saw it, and there was little respect for musical antecedents. Barraque's Piano Sonata is his earliest complete piece after entering this circle, and it shows the strengths and weaknesses of this approach. At its best, it's stark and sinewy. But it often veers into a sort of manifesto--even pedantic in places. I may find that it grows on me. A good friend whose opinion I respect is quite enamored of the piece.

To me, the real treasures of this set are the vocal pieces, especially 'Le Temps Restitue'. Multiple voices join with a large ensemble in music that is perpetually inventive and colorful. Despite the radical proclamations of the composers' circle, Barraque never really lost his sense of drama and lyricism. There's little reason to rank him against his peers: they all have something to say. But it is no stretch to say that he punches well above his weight. This is music that deserves to be more widely-known. The tragic details of his too-short life add poignancy to the listener's experience.

This CD set was recorded in the mid 1990's by a talented and dedicated group based in Vienna. Many of the musicians have gone on to solid international careers (thankfully with plenty of new music). Not many CDs of any sort stay in print for this long: I'm thankful that the record label has kept it available. It is more challenging music than is currently fashionable, but it returns a larger reward.

The French composer Jean Barraque was a prominent figure in mid-century modernism, but after his untimely death in 1973, his handful of works were generally forgotten. Over the past 15 years or so, Barraque has been rediscovered by scholars and listeners. Paul Griffith's The Sea on Fire presented a biography of this reclusive composer, while CPO released this set of Barraque's complete works performed by Klangforum Wien. Barraque's style remained perennially grounded in 1950s serialism, that abstract pointillistic language lacking themes (or ones perceptible by the ear, at least) but seemingly infinite in its freedom. Even as modernism branched out into various new directions in the 1960s, Barraque maintained the same language, but discovered new possibilities in it that I hadn't imagined.

Barraque's oeuvre consists only of eight completed works, most of which are vocal pieces drawing inspiration from Hermann Bloch's obscure novel "The Death of Virgil". The early "Sequence" for voice, percussion and chamber ensemble (1950-55) is a Nietzsche setting which stands outside the Bloch scheme, but it nonetheless establishes the composer's distinctive idiom. "Sequence" distinguishes itself from repertoire serialist vocal-orchestral works like Boulez's "Pli selon pli" through its manic energy. The vocalist makes wild gesticulations, and there's almost always something going on. It's fun.

"Chant apres chant" for six percussionists, voice and piano (1965-66) is more elegant. There's always something going on, but there's a feeling of stasis in many parts. "Le Temps restitue" for ensemble and choir (1956-68) recalls Webern's cantatas but is vaster in form and with less crystalline vocal writing. But for me the best of these vocal works is "...au dela du hasard" for four instrumental groups and one vocal group (1958-9), an ambitious 13-movement work that manages so much variety and so many moods within a persistent serial logic: from bold singing to the most poignant pathos, with a few instrumental moments as respite and some remarkable writing for percussion.

Barraque wrote only one ensemble piece that is purely instrumental. The "Concerto" for six instrumental groups and two solo instruments (1962-68) is a chamber concerto where various instrumental combinations follow one after the other -- though the pitch and rhythms are very typical of 1950s serialism, the form reminds me very much of Elliott Carter's late works. Though the vibraphone and clarinet are the two solo instruments, what I find most memorable is the very frequent use of the harpsichord, not an especially popular instrument in the Darmstadt days. Barraque must have intended some amount of spatialization, and in this stereo recording CPO has some instruments placed at the extreme left or extreme right. At 33 minutes, it sometimes strains my patience, but often I feel that it's a very strong work.

The Piano Sonata (1950-52) is Barraque's best-known work. At any given moment, one can compare the bleep-bloop sonorities to the second of Pierre Boulez's sonatas. Overall, however, where Boulez sought to completely pulverize the music over four distinct movements, Barraque pursues a large-scale form. The two movements are essentially a fast music with slow elements and vice versa, but the coherence of the entire work seems unshakeable. I've only heard the performance here by Stefan Litwin, and while I enjoy it, people do seem to have more praise for the recording by Henck on an ECM disc.

Against the rest of Barraque's output, his musique-concrete Etude for three-track tape (1952-53) is a mere curiosity. The primitive nature of early tape music made many composers' efforts in this vein indistinguishable from others. However, towards the end here, there is a series of tones that show Barraque successfully imposing the serialist logic he loved so dearly on this new technology.

I think Barraque's music will appeal to those who really dig 1950s serialism, to the point that they have exhausted Boulez and Nono and want more. Occasionally there's portrayal of Barraque as a forgotten genius who was so much greater than his better-remembered contemporaries, but that would be hyperbole; his output is definitely uneven. Nonetheless, there are a great many excellent moments that are a major contribution to the era of high modernism.