Architecture and music
The happy interplay between music and architecture is celebrated in three interesting books.
Editions du Patrimoine and the Centre des Monuments Nationaux have jointly published a sumptuous, lavishly illustrated book devoted to the fascinating Opera House, designed down to the finest detail by architect Charles Garnier for Haussmann's Paris. In addition to a number of old documents, nearly 300 exceptional photographs by Jean-Pierre Delagarde reproduce the architecture as well as the exterior and interior decor, including the rich statuary and frescoes, sometimes in detail, and a catalog of the sixty or so marbles used. Solidly documented, Gérard Fontaine's text guides us through the history of the monument inaugurated in 1875, its façade, its famous staircases, the auditorium and its corridors, the stage and its annexes, the salons and the sumptuous grand foyer, not forgetting the countless ornaments, gildings, hangings and chandeliers. Among the artists featured are, of course, Chagall and his ceiling, but also the Fribourg sculptor Marcello and her famous Pythia. A synthesis of classical, static order and Baroque movement, Garnier's masterpiece was conceived as a complement to the pleasure and dream embodied by lyrical art. This secular temple prepares and prolongs the show by projecting us into another, dreamlike space-time, generated by the vision of a profusion of sculptures, paintings, decorative arts and technical elements, perfectly rendered in this beautiful book.
Composer Iannis Xenakis collaborated with Le Corbusier from 1947 to 1959, mainly on engineering projects. For the 1958 Brussels World's Fair, they jointly designed a pavilion for which Edgar Varèse wrote his Spatialized electronic poem. This slender construction is the subject of a detailed study, forming one of the three parts of Séverine Bridoux-Michel's book published by Editions Imbernon, themselves based in the Cité radieuse that the Chaux-de-Fonds architect built in Marseille. Born into a musical family (notably his brother Albert, a violinist, composer and disciple of Jaques-Dalcroze), Le Corbusier gave rhythm to space, building a music of silence harmonized by materials and colors. Xenakis saw sound art as mobile architecture. The influence of Le Corbusier's Modulor is particularly evident in one of his early works, Metastaseis, whose analysis rubs shoulders with a presentation of his thoughts on the correlation between the two arts, and a brief description of his architectural and town-planning achievements and projects. This fascinating investigation into the world of both creators is enhanced by reproductions of photographs, sketches, paintings and other documents.
La Chaux-de-Fonds is proud of its Salle de Musique, inaugurated in 1955. On the occasion of its reopening following a complete renovation, a monograph has been published by Editions Alphil, featuring reproductions of numerous documents, several precious testimonials and a portfolio by photographer Pablo Fernandez. Marikit Taylor traces the history of its construction, from its earliest beginnings to its completion, describing its characteristics, its extraordinary acoustics, the work carried out to restore it, and also, in collaboration with titular organist Philippe Laubscher, its great organ. Yvonne Tissot recounts the musical life of the watchmaking town and the activities of the Société de Musique, which initiated the hall project, as well as the inaugural concerts, before outlining the many musical activities that take place there. Finally, Cyril Tissot reports on the many recordings made, often by prestigious performers, in this internationally renowned venue.
Gérard Fontaine: L'Opéra de Charles Garnier - Une œuvre d'art total, photographs by Jean-Pierre Delagarde, 290 p., € 35.00, Editions du Patrimoine / Centre des monuments nationaux, Paris 2018, ISBN 9782757706084
Séverine Bridoux-Michel: Le Corbusier & Iannis Xenakis. Un dialogue architecture / musique, 200 p., € 27.00, Editions Imbernon, Marseille 2018, ISBN 9782919230266
La Salle de musique de La Chaux-de-Fonds - Un lieu et une acoustique d'exception, 312 p., Fr. 37.00, Editions Alphil, Neuchâtel 2017, ISBN 978-2-88930-057-0
