Composers in the spotlight
The number of books devoted to composers from French-speaking Switzerland is increasing, a welcome sign of renewed interest in their work. If we can't present them all, here are four very different examples.
In addition to biographies written by musicologists, there are many other ways of presenting the life, thought and work of composers. The genre of autobiography can take many forms. Composer and pianist Julien-François Zbinden, who celebrates his 100th birthday this month (cf. article RMS 11_2017, page 32) talks relatively little about music, and even less about his works, true to what he declared when his first book came out seven years ago: "to offer a few reflections of my thoughts and a few images of my existence, because the sum of my musical works reveals what I feel, but by no means who I am." Thus, this book alternates a gallery of memories recounted through a multitude of anecdotes told with humor (childhood, friendships, travel) with an imaginary dialogue enabling him to question semantics, tackle the difficult question of free will, and praise slowness and patience in an excited society that forgets the virtues of silence. Convinced that the time of divine beliefs and prophets is over, he adds that "the time of wisdom must come or humanity will disappear.
András Farkas's work with his father Ferenc, a Hungarian composer, is somewhere between a biography and an autobiography. Although he is the only non-Roman composer mentioned in this article, his son, a conductor based in the canton of Vaud, has links with Switzerland. Apart from the great personalities such as Bartók, Kodály, Kurtág and Ligeti, other 20th-century Hungarian composers have had little exposure outside their native country. Farkas, who was born in the Austro-Hungarian Empire in 1905 and died in 2000, recounts a century of upheaval, loss, horror and disillusionment. A prolific composer, especially of vocal music, he also produced numerous film and stage scores. A representative of the neo-classical tradition, he trained many of his pupils.
Neither musicologist nor historian, Jean Winiger presents Joseph Bovet with all his passion and talent as an actor and director, using a lyricism that sometimes makes it difficult to grasp what is the author's invention and what is based on proven facts. In any case, it is based on numerous testimonials from people who knew the "singing abbot", whose melody Up on the mountain is popular the world over - as far afield as Australia, Vietnam and Mongolia - far more than the composer's name. The emotion that emanates from a work like Nouthra Dona di MaortseThe success of his music, for example, was no accident: his perfect knowledge of choral writing, the art of harmonization and the use of diatonism inspired by plainchant all played their part. Winiger underscores the extent to which this great lover of nature and simple folk's love of music went hand in hand with his desire to alleviate suffering, transmit joy and hope, and introduce the general public to culture. With this in mind, the tireless leader of Fribourg's choral life devoted himself without counting the cost, despite the clouds of jealousy and slander that gathered over his head, darkening his last years.
Finally, a short booklet presents the current catalog of works by Valais composer and organist Marie-Christine Raboud-Theurillat, born in 1948, whose touching, modal works deserve to be better known, particularly her chamber music output. These 74 opus numbers, written over a period of twenty years, offer emotionally rich inner landscapes. Fauré, Bartók and Messiaen are among the composers who inspired this engaging musical personality.
Julien-François Zbinden : de Vous à Moi, 176 p., Fr. 27.00 ; Editions de l'Aire, Vevey 2017, ISBN 9782940586677
András Farkas : Mon père m'a raconté... La vie du compositeur hongrois Ferenc Farkas, € 19.00, Delatour France, Sampzon, ISBN 978-2-7521-0307-9
Jean Winiger: L'Abbé Bovet. Là-haut sur la montagne. Au-delà de la légende, 200 p., Fr. 35.00, Editions Cabédita, Bière 2017, ISBN 978-2-88295-767-2
Marie-Christine Raboud-Therillat, compositrice et organiste : liste des oeuvres conservées à la Médiathèque Valais, by Annie Thiessoz Reynard and Jean-Louis Matthey, pref. by Damian Elsig, foreword by Antonin Scherrer, 37 p., Médiathèque Valais, Sion 2017
