Manuel Rosenthal
Encyclopedia
Manuel Rosenthal was a French composer
and conductor
who held leading positions with musical organizations in France and America. He was friends with many of his contemporary composers, and despite a considerable list of compositions is mostly remembered for having created the popular ballet score Gaîté Parisienne and left a varied legacy of recordings.
Rosenthal began violin studies at age 6; after his stepfather's death in 1918, Rosenthal played the violin to support his mother and his sisters, working in cafés and cinemas. In 1920, Rosenthal entered the Conservatoire in Paris, although he had to leave the institution after failing to win an expected first prize. In addition to continuing his violin studies with Alterman and Boucherit
and playing in theatre and cinema bands, he also studied composition. Around this time Rosenthal met Léo Sir, inventor of the dixtuor of string instruments; he was persuaded to play the sursoprano (a 4th higher than the violin) but also to find composers to write for this new medium. Through this Rosenthal met Milhaud
, Honegger and others, and also contributed his own music to a recital in Paris in October 1921.
He wrote a Sonatine for two violins and piano for a sight-reading examination, and the work received acclaim after its performance at the 99th concert of the Société Musicale Independante in Paris at the end of October 1924, attended by both Nadia Boulanger
and Roland Manuel. After military service, he became Maurice Ravel
's third and final student, seeing him once or twice a month, while also having lessons in counterpoint and fugue from Jean Huré. Rosenthal continued to play violin in the orchestra at the Moulin Rouge
and the Casino de Paris
. Ravel encouraged him to win the Prix Blumenthal
(worth 20,000 francs)in 1928 and contacted the directors of the Opéra-Comique
to get the one-act opera Rayon des soieries performed there in June 1930. He also arranged for Rosenthal's conducting debut, at a concert of Rosenthal's own music in 1928.
, to Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht
. In 1936 he was invited by Georges Mandel
to become the conductor of the Orchestre de Radio PTT. As his fame as a conductor grew, he was atttacked in L'Action Française
in 1937 by Lucien Rebatet
who demanded his expulsion from his post. In the same year Serge Koussevitzky
, in Paris during the Exposition
invited Rosenthal to go to Boston to become his assistant – an offer reiterated after a Salle Pleyel concert on the eve of war in 1939. After the death of Ravel, and following the success of Gaîté Parisienne, Rosenthal became a close colleague of Stravinsky.
Rosenthal's musical career was interrupted by World War II when, after joining his regiment as a Corporal in the 300th infantry regiment, he was stationed near the Rhine in Alsace in 1939, and became a prisoner of war in May 1940. During his time in the prisoner of war camp he organised concerts, creating an operetta based on a play by Georges Courteline
. Included in an exchange of prisoners sent back to the occupied zone
, Rosenthal arrived back in Paris in March 1941, but escaped to Marseille in the Zone libre
with the help of Roland-Manuel
. He was arrested in Besançon
in September 1941 while attempting to see his son, and was sentenced to six months forced labour. With the assistance of a German officer he got the necessary papers to escape back to Marseille. Later in 1942 he returned to Paris and worked in the Resistance with Désormière
, Durey
, Delvincourt
and others.
Upon the liberation
in 1944, he returned to the Orchestre National de France
to become their principal conductor, a post he held until 1947. The first concert consisted of works from each of the Allied countries, including the Hymne à la Justice by Magnard
, and he ensured a wide range of contemporary music was played; the first season included a complete cycle of the works of Stravinsky. In his final year with the orchestra he brought them to join Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic in a concert organised by Jack Hylton
that filled the Harringay Arena
with 13,500 listeners.
In early 1946 Rosenthal went to the USA to conduct concerts with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
. Having accepted the post of composer-in-residence at the College of Puget Sound
, he was invited to become music director of the Seattle Symphony
from 1948–1951; he also undertook guest engagements in San Francisco and in Buenos Aires
. He was engaged to inspect the orchestra in Algiers
, and conducted there and in Tunis
during the winter of 1952-53.
He was music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Liège
from 1964-1967. Rosenthal also served as professor of conducting at the Paris Conservatoire from 1962 to 1974, instituting a more demanding schedule for his students, who included Yan Pascal Tortelier
, Eliahu Inbal
, Jacques Mercier, Marc Soustrot and Jean-Claude Casadesus. He conducted some of the first modern performances of Rameau’s Zoroastre
, at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
and the Opéra-Comique in 1964. The BBC
in Manchester
invited him to conduct an opera of his choice in 1972; he took on Chabrier's Le roi malgre lui
with a French cast, which helped promote Chabrier's music in the UK.
In February 1981 Rosenthal made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera
New York in a mixed-bill of 20th century French stage works, returning in 1983 for Dialogues des carmélites
, and further appearances in 1986 and 1987. He returned to Seattle in 1986 to conduct the Ring cycle
for Seattle Opera
.
He conducted the first performance of Pelléas et Mélisande
in Russia in Moscow in 1988, and later that year gave the premiere of the same work in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1992 he conducted a production of Padmâvatî
at the Opera Bastille.
when returning to Seattle in October 1951. With the discovery of his first marriage, Rosenthal's Seattle contract was terminated. In 1952, he finally obtained a divorce and married Verneuil. He had two sons, Alain born in 1933 and Clément born in 1956.
Rosenthal was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
in 1961 and a Commandeur in 1991.
In 1999 he published a small book 'Crescendo vers Dieu' in which he looked at his religious beliefs, woven into the story of his life.
Rosenthal died in Paris, aged 88.
However, his best-known work as a composer was the 1938 ballet Gaîté Parisienne
, which he arranged based on the music of Jacques Offenbach
. The commission by Léonide Massine was originally meant for Roger Désormière
, but for lack of time, Désormière asked Rosenthal, a friend, to undertake the arrangement. Rosenthal was initially reluctant, but fulfilled the commission. Massine rejected the score, but after arbitration by Igor Stravinsky
, finally accepted the work and choreographed the ballet, which was a major success.
In 1965 his serious opera Hop, Signor! was a disappointment in Toulouse and at the Opéra-Comique
.
Composer
A composer is a person who creates music, either by musical notation or oral tradition, for interpretation and performance, or through direct manipulation of sonic material through electronic media...
and conductor
Conducting
Conducting is the art of directing a musical performance by way of visible gestures. The primary duties of the conductor are to unify performers, set the tempo, execute clear preparations and beats, and to listen critically and shape the sound of the ensemble...
who held leading positions with musical organizations in France and America. He was friends with many of his contemporary composers, and despite a considerable list of compositions is mostly remembered for having created the popular ballet score Gaîté Parisienne and left a varied legacy of recordings.
Early life and career
Rosenthal was born in Paris to Anna Devorsosky, of Russian Jewish descent, and to a French father, whom he never met. His surname was taken from his stepfather, Bernard Rosenthal.Rosenthal began violin studies at age 6; after his stepfather's death in 1918, Rosenthal played the violin to support his mother and his sisters, working in cafés and cinemas. In 1920, Rosenthal entered the Conservatoire in Paris, although he had to leave the institution after failing to win an expected first prize. In addition to continuing his violin studies with Alterman and Boucherit
Jules Boucherit
Jules Boucherit was a French violinist and renowned violin pedagogue.Jules Boucherit was born in Morlaix. He attended the Paris Conservatoire studying under Jules Garcin...
and playing in theatre and cinema bands, he also studied composition. Around this time Rosenthal met Léo Sir, inventor of the dixtuor of string instruments; he was persuaded to play the sursoprano (a 4th higher than the violin) but also to find composers to write for this new medium. Through this Rosenthal met Milhaud
Milhaud
Milhaud is a commune in the Gard department in southern France.-Population:-References:*...
, Honegger and others, and also contributed his own music to a recital in Paris in October 1921.
He wrote a Sonatine for two violins and piano for a sight-reading examination, and the work received acclaim after its performance at the 99th concert of the Société Musicale Independante in Paris at the end of October 1924, attended by both Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger
Nadia Boulanger was a French composer, conductor and teacher who taught many composers and performers of the 20th century.From a musical family, she achieved early honours as a student at the Paris Conservatoire, but believing that her talent as a composer was inferior to that of her younger...
and Roland Manuel. After military service, he became Maurice Ravel
Maurice Ravel
Joseph-Maurice Ravel was a French composer known especially for his melodies, orchestral and instrumental textures and effects...
's third and final student, seeing him once or twice a month, while also having lessons in counterpoint and fugue from Jean Huré. Rosenthal continued to play violin in the orchestra at the Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge
Moulin Rouge is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.The Moulin Rouge is...
and the Casino de Paris
Casino de Paris
The Casino de Paris, located at 16, rue de Clichy, in the 9th arrondissement is one of the well known music halls of Paris, with a history dating back to the 18th century. Contrary to what the name might suggest, it is a performance venue, not a gambling house...
. Ravel encouraged him to win the Prix Blumenthal
Prix Blumenthal
The Prix Blumenthal was a grant or stipend awarded through the philanthropy of Florence Meyer Blumenthal — and the foundation she created, Fondation franco-américaine Florence Blumenthal — to discover young French artists, aid them financially, and in the process draw the United States...
(worth 20,000 francs)in 1928 and contacted the directors of the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
to get the one-act opera Rayon des soieries performed there in June 1930. He also arranged for Rosenthal's conducting debut, at a concert of Rosenthal's own music in 1928.
Conducting career
His conducting career began fully in 1934, when he became a percussionist and assistant conductor of the Orchestre National de FranceOrchestre National de France
The Orchestre national de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française and Orchestre national de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...
, to Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht
Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht
Désiré-Émile Inghelbrecht was a French composer, conductor and writer.- Life and career :Inghelbrecht was born in Paris, the son of a viola-player. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire and made his debut as a conductor in 1908 at the Théâtre des Arts.Inghelbrecht entered the Conservatoire aged 7...
. In 1936 he was invited by Georges Mandel
Georges Mandel
Georges Mandel was a French politician, journalist, and French Resistance leader.-Biography:Born Louis George Rothschild in Chatou, Yvelines, was the son of a tailor...
to become the conductor of the Orchestre de Radio PTT. As his fame as a conductor grew, he was atttacked in L'Action Française
Action Française
The Action Française , founded in 1898, is a French Monarchist counter-revolutionary movement and periodical founded by Maurice Pujo and Henri Vaugeois and whose principal ideologist was Charles Maurras...
in 1937 by Lucien Rebatet
Lucien Rebatet
Lucien Rebatet was a French author, journalist and intellectual, an exponent of fascism and virulent antisemite.-Early life:...
who demanded his expulsion from his post. In the same year Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky
Serge Koussevitzky , was a Russian-born Jewish conductor, composer and double-bassist, known for his long tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra from 1924 to 1949.-Early career:...
, in Paris during the Exposition
Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne (1937)
The Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne was held from May 25 to November 25, 1937 in Paris, France...
invited Rosenthal to go to Boston to become his assistant – an offer reiterated after a Salle Pleyel concert on the eve of war in 1939. After the death of Ravel, and following the success of Gaîté Parisienne, Rosenthal became a close colleague of Stravinsky.
Rosenthal's musical career was interrupted by World War II when, after joining his regiment as a Corporal in the 300th infantry regiment, he was stationed near the Rhine in Alsace in 1939, and became a prisoner of war in May 1940. During his time in the prisoner of war camp he organised concerts, creating an operetta based on a play by Georges Courteline
Georges Courteline
Georges Courteline was a French dramatist and novelist.Born Georges Victor Marcel Moinaux, in Tours in the Indre-et-Loire département, his family moved to Paris shortly after his birth...
. Included in an exchange of prisoners sent back to the occupied zone
Zone occupée
The zone occupée was the area of France where German occupying troops were deployed during the Second World War after the signature of the Second Armistice at Compiègne...
, Rosenthal arrived back in Paris in March 1941, but escaped to Marseille in the Zone libre
Zone libre
The zone libre was a partition of the French metropolitan territory during the Second World War, established at the Second Armistice at Compiègne on June 22, 1940. It lay to the south of the demarcation line and was administered by the French government of Marshal Philippe Pétain based in Vichy,...
with the help of Roland-Manuel
Alexis Roland-Manuel
Alexis Roland-Manuel was a French composer and critic, though he is remembered mainly for his work in the latter area.-Biography:...
. He was arrested in Besançon
Besançon
Besançon , is the capital and principal city of the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It had a population of about 237,000 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2008...
in September 1941 while attempting to see his son, and was sentenced to six months forced labour. With the assistance of a German officer he got the necessary papers to escape back to Marseille. Later in 1942 he returned to Paris and worked in the Resistance with Désormière
Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière was a French conductor.Désormière was born in Vichy in 1898. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where his professors included Philippe Gaubert , Xavier Leroux and Charles Koechlin , and Vincent d'Indy...
, Durey
Louis Durey
-Life:Louis Durey was born in Paris, the son of a local businessman. It was not until he was nineteen years old that he chose to pursue a musical career after hearing a performance of a Claude Debussy work. As a composer he was primarily self-taught. From the beginning, choral music was of great...
, Delvincourt
Claude Delvincourt
Claude Delvincourt was a French pianist and composer of classical music.-Biography:Delvincourt was born in Paris, the son of Pierre Delvincourt and Marguerite Fourès....
and others.
Upon the liberation
Liberation of Paris
The Liberation of Paris took place during World War II from 19 August 1944 until the surrender of the occupying German garrison on August 25th. It could be regarded by some as the last battle in the Battle for Normandy, though that really ended with the crushing of the Wehrmacht forces between the...
in 1944, he returned to the Orchestre National de France
Orchestre National de France
The Orchestre national de France is a symphony orchestra run by Radio France. It has also been known as the Orchestre national de la Radiodiffusion française and Orchestre national de l'Office de Radiodiffusion Télévision Française .Since 1944, the orchestra has been based in the Théâtre...
to become their principal conductor, a post he held until 1947. The first concert consisted of works from each of the Allied countries, including the Hymne à la Justice by Magnard
Albéric Magnard
Lucien Denis Gabriel Albéric Magnard was a French composer, sometimes referred to as the "French Bruckner", though there are significant differences between the two composers...
, and he ensured a wide range of contemporary music was played; the first season included a complete cycle of the works of Stravinsky. In his final year with the orchestra he brought them to join Sir Thomas Beecham and the Royal Philharmonic in a concert organised by Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton
Jack Hylton was a British band leader and impresario.He was born John Greenhalgh Hilton in the Great Lever area of Bolton, Lancashire, the son of George Hilton, a cotton yarn twister. His father was an amateur singer at the local Labour Club and Jack learned piano to accompany him on the stage...
that filled the Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena
Harringay Arena was a sporting and events venue on Green Lanes in Harringay, North London, England. Built in 1936, it lasted as a venue until 1958.-Construction:...
with 13,500 listeners.
In early 1946 Rosenthal went to the USA to conduct concerts with the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra
The Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra is an American symphony orchestra based in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1880 by Joseph Otten as the St. Louis Choral Society, the SLSO is the second-oldest symphony orchestra in the United States as it is preceded by the New York Philharmonic.-History:The St...
. Having accepted the post of composer-in-residence at the College of Puget Sound
University of Puget Sound
The University of Puget Sound is a private liberal arts college located in the North End of Tacoma, Washington, in the United States...
, he was invited to become music director of the Seattle Symphony
Seattle Symphony
The Seattle Symphony is an American orchestra based in Seattle, Washington. Since 1998, the orchestra is resident at Benaroya Hall. The orchestra's season runs from September through July, and serves as the pit orchestra for most productions of the Seattle Opera in addition to its own concerts...
from 1948–1951; he also undertook guest engagements in San Francisco and in Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
. He was engaged to inspect the orchestra in Algiers
Algiers
' is the capital and largest city of Algeria. According to the 1998 census, the population of the city proper was 1,519,570 and that of the urban agglomeration was 2,135,630. In 2009, the population was about 3,500,000...
, and conducted there and in Tunis
Tunis
Tunis is the capital of both the Tunisian Republic and the Tunis Governorate. It is Tunisia's largest city, with a population of 728,453 as of 2004; the greater metropolitan area holds some 2,412,500 inhabitants....
during the winter of 1952-53.
He was music director of the Orchestre Symphonique de Liège
Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège
The Orchestre Philharmonique Royal de Liège is a Belgian symphony orchestra, based in Liège. The OPRL was founded in 1960. With 100 members, the Liège Royal Philharmonic performs nearly 80 concerts each season, with approximately fifty of these concerts at the Salle Philharmonique de Liège, its...
from 1964-1967. Rosenthal also served as professor of conducting at the Paris Conservatoire from 1962 to 1974, instituting a more demanding schedule for his students, who included Yan Pascal Tortelier
Yan Pascal Tortelier
Yan Pascal Tortelier is an internationally renowned French conductor and violinist and is the son of the late cellist Paul Tortelier.-Biography:...
, Eliahu Inbal
Eliahu Inbal
Eliahu Inbal is an Israeli conductor.Inbal studied violin at the Israeli Academy of Music and took composition lessons with Paul Ben-Haim...
, Jacques Mercier, Marc Soustrot and Jean-Claude Casadesus. He conducted some of the first modern performances of Rameau’s Zoroastre
Zoroastre
Zoroastre is an opera by Jean-Philippe Rameau, first performed on 5 December 1749 at the Opéra in Paris. The libretto is by Louis de Cahusac. Zoroastre was the fourth of Rameau's tragédies en musique to be staged and the last to appear during the composer's own lifetime...
, at the Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux
Grand Théâtre de Bordeaux, is a Theatre in Bordeaux, France, first inaugurated on 17 April 1780. It was in this theatre that the ballet La Fille Mal Gardée premiered in 1789, and where a young Marius Petipa staged some of his first ballets....
and the Opéra-Comique in 1964. The BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
in Manchester
Manchester
Manchester is a city and metropolitan borough in Greater Manchester, England. According to the Office for National Statistics, the 2010 mid-year population estimate for Manchester was 498,800. Manchester lies within one of the UK's largest metropolitan areas, the metropolitan county of Greater...
invited him to conduct an opera of his choice in 1972; he took on Chabrier's Le roi malgre lui
Le roi malgré lui
Le roi malgré lui is an opéra-comique in three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier with an original libretto by Emile de Najac and Paul Burani. The opera is revived occasionally, but has not found a place in the repertory, mainly because of the poor libretto...
with a French cast, which helped promote Chabrier's music in the UK.
In February 1981 Rosenthal made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera
Metropolitan Opera
The Metropolitan Opera is an opera company, located in New York City. Originally founded in 1880, the company gave its first performance on October 22, 1883. The company is operated by the non-profit Metropolitan Opera Association, with Peter Gelb as general manager...
New York in a mixed-bill of 20th century French stage works, returning in 1983 for Dialogues des carmélites
Dialogues of the Carmelites
Dialogues of the Carmelites , is an opera in three acts by Francis Poulenc. In 1953, M. Valcarenghi approached Poulenc to commission a ballet for La Scala in Milan; when Poulenc found the proposed subject uninspiring, Valcarenghi suggested instead a screenplay by Georges Bernanos, based on the...
, and further appearances in 1986 and 1987. He returned to Seattle in 1986 to conduct the Ring cycle
Der Ring des Nibelungen
Der Ring des Nibelungen is a cycle of four epic operas by the German composer Richard Wagner . The works are based loosely on characters from the Norse sagas and the Nibelungenlied...
for Seattle Opera
Seattle Opera
The Seattle Opera is an opera company located in Seattle, Washington. Founded in 1963 by Glynn Ross, who served as the company's first general director through 1983, Seattle Opera's season runs from August to late May, with five or six operas offered and with eight to ten performances each, often...
.
He conducted the first performance of Pelléas et Mélisande
Pelléas et Mélisande (opera)
Pelléas et Mélisande is an opera in five acts with music by Claude Debussy. The French libretto was adapted from Maurice Maeterlinck's Symbolist play Pelléas et Mélisande...
in Russia in Moscow in 1988, and later that year gave the premiere of the same work in Caracas, Venezuela. In 1992 he conducted a production of Padmâvatî
Padmavati
-Mythology:* Alamelu, aka Padmāvatī, Hindu goddess and consort of Sri Venkateshwara of Tirupati* Another name for the Hindu serpent goddess Manasa* Padmavati , Jain goddess-Given name:...
at the Opera Bastille.
Personal life
Rosenthal was married twice. His first marriage was to a chorus girl in 1927, with the surname Troussier. He had begun a relationship with the soprano Claudine Verneuil while still married to his first wife. However, during his tenure in Seattle, Claudine Verneuil was presented as Rosenthal's wife, even though he had not divorced Troussier. His failure to declare Verneuil's true status led to his detention for six weeks on Ellis IslandEllis Island
Ellis Island in New York Harbor was the gateway for millions of immigrants to the United States. It was the nation's busiest immigrant inspection station from 1892 until 1954. The island was greatly expanded with landfill between 1892 and 1934. Before that, the much smaller original island was the...
when returning to Seattle in October 1951. With the discovery of his first marriage, Rosenthal's Seattle contract was terminated. In 1952, he finally obtained a divorce and married Verneuil. He had two sons, Alain born in 1933 and Clément born in 1956.
Rosenthal was made a Chevalier of the Légion d'honneur
Légion d'honneur
The Legion of Honour, or in full the National Order of the Legion of Honour is a French order established by Napoleon Bonaparte, First Consul of the Consulat which succeeded to the First Republic, on 19 May 1802...
in 1961 and a Commandeur in 1991.
In 1999 he published a small book 'Crescendo vers Dieu' in which he looked at his religious beliefs, woven into the story of his life.
Rosenthal died in Paris, aged 88.
Composer
Rosenthal composed works in all classical forms, including operas, operettas, ballets, 13 works for orchestra, choral works with orchestra and a capella, works for solo voice and orchestra, chamber music, music for voice and piano, and solo piano music. His reputation was sealed in France with Jeanne d'Arc, first performed in 1936, although this was followed by a production of the light-hearted one-act operetta La Poule Noire of 1937.However, his best-known work as a composer was the 1938 ballet Gaîté Parisienne
Gaîté Parisienne
Gaîté parisienne is a 1938 ballet based on music by Jacques Offenbach, arranged by Manuel Rosenthal. The ballet had the original title of Tortoni, after a Paris café, but Rosenthal recalled that Count Étienne de Beaumont, the ballet's librettist, later came up with the ballet's eventual...
, which he arranged based on the music of Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach
Jacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
. The commission by Léonide Massine was originally meant for Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière
Roger Désormière was a French conductor.Désormière was born in Vichy in 1898. He studied at the Paris Conservatoire, where his professors included Philippe Gaubert , Xavier Leroux and Charles Koechlin , and Vincent d'Indy...
, but for lack of time, Désormière asked Rosenthal, a friend, to undertake the arrangement. Rosenthal was initially reluctant, but fulfilled the commission. Massine rejected the score, but after arbitration by Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky
Igor Fyodorovich Stravinsky ; 6 April 1971) was a Russian, later naturalized French, and then naturalized American composer, pianist, and conductor....
, finally accepted the work and choreographed the ballet, which was a major success.
In 1965 his serious opera Hop, Signor! was a disappointment in Toulouse and at the Opéra-Comique
Opéra-Comique
The Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
.
Stage works
- Rayon des soieries, 1923-1926, opéra bouffe in one act
- Un baiser pour rien ou La folle du logis, 1928-1929, ballet in one act
- Les Bootleggers, 1932, comédie musicale in one act
- La poule noire, 1937-1937, comédie musicale in one act
- Gaîté Parisienne, 1938, ballet in one act d’après Offenbach
- Que le diable l'emporte, 1948, ballet in one act
- Les femmes au tombeau, 1956, drame lyrique in one act
- Hop, Signor ! 1957-1961, drame lyrique in three acts
Orchestral
- Sérénade, 1927
- Jeanne d'Arc, 1934-36
- Les petits métiers, 1933 (Le Maréchal ferrant, L’Herboriste, Le Montreur de Marionnettes, Le Veilleur de Nuit, Le Facteur Déodat, Le Barbier, La Marchande d’Oublies, Le Rémouleur, La Nounou, Le petit Télégraphiste)
- Musique de table, 1941 (Entrée de Convives, Salade russe, Matelote d’Anguilles, Quenelles lyonnaises, Filet de Bœuf, Jardinière de Légumes, Cuissot de Chevreuil, Salade de Saison, Fromage de Montagne, Bombe glacée, Corbeille de fruits, Café, Liqueurs Cigares, Conversations d’après diner)
- Noce Villageoise, 1941
- Symphonies de Noël, 1947
- Magic Manhattan, 1948
- Symphony in C, 1949
- Offenbachiana, 1953
- Rondes Françaises, 1955
Vocal, choral
- Saint François d'Assise, 1936-39
- Trois burlesques, 1941
- La pietà d’Avignon, 1943
- Cantate pour le temps de la Nativité, 1943-44
- Deux sonnets de Jean CassouJean CassouJean Cassou was a French writer, art critic, poet and member of the French Resistance during World War II.- Biography :Jean Cassou was born at Deusto, near Bilbao,...
, 1944 - A choeur vaillant, 1952-53
- Missa Deo Gratias, 1953
- Trois pièces liturgiques, 1958
Instrumental
- Sonatine for two violons and piano, 1922
- Saxophone-Marmelade, 1929
- Les Soirées du Petit Juas, string quartet, 1942
- Aesopi Convivium (violin, piano, orchestra), 1947-1948
Selected recordings
- Debussy: Orchestral works - Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faunePrélude à l'après-midi d'un faunePrélude à l'après-midi d'un faune , commonly known by its English title Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, is a symphonic poem for orchestra by Claude Debussy, approximately 10 minutes in duration...
, Images pour orchestreImages pour orchestreImages pour orchestre is an orchestral composition in three sections by Claude Debussy. Debussy wrote the music between 1905 and 1912. Debussy had originally intended this set of Images as a two-piano sequel to the first set of Images , in a letter to his publisher Durand as of September 1905...
, JeuxJeuxJeux is the last work for orchestra written by Claude Debussy. Described as a "poème dansé" , it was originally intended to accompany a ballet, and was written for the Ballets Russes of Serge Diaghilev to choreography by Vaslav Nijinsky. Debussy initially objected to the scenario, but...
, NocturnesNocturnesNocturnes is an orchestral composition in three movements by the French composer Claude Debussy. It was completed on 15 December 1899.-Movements:The three movements are:* I. Nuages * II. Fêtes * III...
, La MerLa Mer (Debussy)La mer, trois esquisses symphoniques pour orchestre , or simply La mer , is an orchestral composition by the French composer Claude Debussy. It was started in 1903 in France and completed in 1905 on the English Channel coast in Eastbourne...
; Orchestra of the Opéra de Paris, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. VEGA - Ravel: Daphnis et ChloéDaphnis et ChloéDaphnis et Chloé is a ballet with music by Maurice Ravel. Ravel described it as a "symphonie choréographique" . The scenario was adapted by Michel Fokine from an eponymous romance by the Greek writer Longus thought to date from around the 2nd century AD...
, Rapsodie espagnoleRapsodie espagnoleRapsodie espagnole is an orchestral rhapsody written by Maurice Ravel. Composed between 1907 and 1908, the Rapsodie represents one of Ravel's first major works for orchestra....
, Alborada del gracioso, Valses nobles et sentimentalesValses nobles et sentimentales (Ravel)The Valses nobles et sentimentales is a suite of waltzes composed by Maurice Ravel. The piano version was published in 1911, and an orchestral version was published in 1912. The suite contains an eclectic blend of Impressionist and Modernist music, which is especially evident in the orchestrated...
; Orchestra of the Opéra de Paris, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. VEGA - Ravel: L'heure espagnoleL'heure espagnoleL'heure espagnole is a one-act opera, described as a comédie musicale, with music by Maurice Ravel to a French libretto by Franc-Nohain, based on his play of the same name first performed at the Théâtre de l'Odéon on 28 October 1904...
- Géori BouéGéori BouéGeorgette "Géori" Boué is a French soprano, particularly associated with the French repertory, especially Thais. She was born in Toulouse.- Life and career :...
(Concepcion), Roger BourdinRoger BourdinRoger Bourdin was a French baritone, particularly associated with the French repertory. His career was largely based in France.- Life and career :...
(Ramiro), Orchestre National de France, conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Paris 28 December 1944. IMV 027. - Ibert: Concertino da camera for alto saxophone and eleven instruments, Debussy: Rapsodie, Loeffler: Poeme paien d'apres Virgile - Marcel MuleMarcel MuleMarcel Mule was a French classical saxophonist.Marcel Mule was known worldwide as one of the great classical saxophonists, and many pieces were written for him, premiered by him, and arranged by him. Many of these pieces have become staples in the classical saxophone repertoire...
, Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris, conductor Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 1952, 2-EMI 85240. - Glazounov: Suite from RaymondaRaymondaRaymonda is a ballet in three acts, four scenes with an apotheosis, choreographed by Marius Petipa, with music by Alexander Glazunov, his opus 57. First presented by the Imperial Ballet at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre on in St. Petersburg, Russia...
- Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris, conductor Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 1952, 2-EMI 85240. - Scriabin: The Poem of EcstasyThe Poem of EcstasyAlexander Scriabin's The Poem of Ecstasy op. 54 is a symphonic poem written between 1905 and 1908, when Scriabin was actively involved with the Theosophical Society...
- Orchestre Philharmonique de Paris, conductor Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 1952, 2-EMI 85240. - SauguetHenri SauguetHenri Sauguet , was a French composer. Born in Bordeaux as Henri-Pierre Poupard, he adopted his mother's maiden name as his pseudonym. His output includes operas, ballets, four symphonies , concertos, chamber and choral music and numerous songs, as well as film music...
: Les caprices de MarianneLes caprices de MarianneLes caprices de Marianne is a two-act opéra comique by Henri Sauguet with a French libretto by Jean-Pierre Grédy after Alfred de Musset. It was first performed at the Aix-en-Provence Festival in 1954, with the Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire conducted by Louis de Froment with...
- Andrée EspositoAndrée EspositoAndrée Esposito is a French opera singer, a lyric soprano particularly associated with the French repertory and contemporary works.- Biography :...
(Marianne), Michel SénéchalMichel SénéchalMichel Sénéchal is a French tenor, particularly associated with French and Italian character roles in a repertory ranging from Baroque to contemporary works.- Life and career :...
(Coelio), Camille MauraneCamille MauraneCamille Maurane, born Camille Moreau , was a French baritone singer. His father was a music teacher and he started singing as a child in the Maîtrise Saint-Evode in Rouen...
(Octave), Orchestre Radio-Lyrique, conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 27–28 May 1959. SOCD 98/99 - Bizet: Les pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perlesLes pêcheurs de perles is an opera in three acts by the French composer Georges Bizet, to a libretto by Eugène Cormon and Michel Carré. It was first performed on 30 September 1863 at the Théâtre Lyrique in Paris, and was given 18 performances in its initial run...
- Jeanine Micheau (Leila), Alain VanzoAlain VanzoAlain Vanzo was a French opera singer and composer, one of few French tenors of international standing in the postwar era...
(Nadir), Gabriel BacquierGabriel BacquierGabriel Bacquier is a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories, he is considered a fine singing-actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles.-Life and career:Gabriel Bacquier was born in...
(Zurgia), Lucien Lovano (Nourabad), Chœur de la RTF, Orchestre Radio-Lyrique, conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Paris, 25 June 1959. GALA GL 100.504 - Messiaen: ChronochromieChronochromieChronochromie is an orchestral work by French composer Olivier Messiaen, completed in 1960. It consists of seven movements: Introduction, Strophe I, Antistrophe I, Strophe II, Antistrophe II, Epode and Coda. The sixth movement consists of 18 string instruments playing different birdsong...
- Orchestre National de France, conductor Manuel Rosenthal. Ades 14122. - Lalo: Symphonie espagnoleSymphonie EspagnoleThe Symphonie espagnole in D minor, Op. 21, is a work for violin and orchestra by Édouard Lalo.-History:The work was written in 1874 for violinist Pablo de Sarasate, and premiered in Paris in February 1875....
and other French works for violin and orchestra. Arthur GrumiauxArthur GrumiauxArthur Grumiaux was a Belgian violinist who was also proficient in piano.-Youth:Grumiaux was born in Villers-Perwin, Belgium to a working-class family, and it was his grandfather who urged him to begin music studies at the age of only 4...
(violin), Orchestre des Concerts Lamoureux, conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Eloquence 462 579-2. - Satie: ParadeParade (ballet)Parade is a ballet with music by Erik Satie and a one-act scenario by Jean Cocteau. The ballet was composed 1916-1917 for Serge Diaghilev's Ballets Russes...
, Trois Petite Pieces Montées, Socrate, En habit de cheval. French National Radio & Television Orchestra, Manuel Rosenthal. 1968. Everest - EVERCD014 - OffenbachJacques OffenbachJacques Offenbach was a Prussian-born French composer, cellist and impresario. He is remembered for his nearly 100 operettas of the 1850s–1870s and his uncompleted opera The Tales of Hoffmann. He was a powerful influence on later composers of the operetta genre, particularly Johann Strauss, Jr....
: Pomme d'apiPomme d'apiPomme d'api is a one-act opérette of 1873 by Jacques Offenbach with a French libretto by Ludovic Halévy and William Busnach.-Background:...
, M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . .M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le . . .M. Choufleuri restera chez lui le... is an opéra bouffe, or operetta, in one act by Jacques Offenbach and the Duc de Morny...
, Mesdames de la HalleMesdames de la HalleMesdames de la Halle is an opérette bouffe in one act by Jacques Offenbach, with a libretto by Armand Lapointe. It was first performed at the Théâtre des Bouffes Parisiens, Paris on 3 March 1858. and was the first work of Offenbach's at the Bouffes with a chorus and a large cast...
- Mady MespléMady MespléMady Mesplé is a French opera singer, the leading high coloratura soprano of her generation in France, sometimes heralded as the successor to Mado Robin.-Biography:...
, Jean-Philippe Lafont, Léonard Pezzino, Charles BurlesCharles BurlesCharles Burles is a French lyric tenor, primarily associated with the French repertory, both opera and operetta.Burles was born in Marseille, France,where he studied voice with Léon Cazauran. He made his stage debut in 1958, in Toulon...
, Michel TrempontMichel TrempontMichel Trempont is a Belgian operatic baritone whose repertoire extends from the 18th century to the creation of contemporary works. His brother was Pol Trempont , operatic tenor and one time director of the Théâtre de Mons.-Life and career:After studies with Rogatchewsky, Trempont made his debut...
, Michel Hamel; Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo, Ensemble Choral Jean Laforge, Conductor: Manuel Rosenthal. Monte Carlo 21–29 September 1982. EMI 3952972. - Puccini: ToscaToscaTosca is an opera in three acts by Giacomo Puccini to an Italian libretto by Luigi Illica and Giuseppe Giacosa. It premiered at the Teatro Costanzi in Rome on 14 January 1900...
- Jane RhodesJane RhodesJane Marie Andrée Rhodes was a French opera singer whose voice encompassed both the soprano and high mezzo-soprano ranges. Her most celebrated role was Carmen, which she sang in the opera's first ever staging at the Palais Garnier...
, Albert LanceAlbert LanceAlbert Lance is a French tenor of Australian origin, based in France from the mid 1950s onwards, where he enjoyed a highly successful career....
, Gabriel BacquierGabriel BacquierGabriel Bacquier is a French operatic baritone. One of the leading baritones of the 20th century and particularly associated with the French and Italian repertories, he is considered a fine singing-actor equally at home in dramatic or comic roles.-Life and career:Gabriel Bacquier was born in...
; Orchestra of the Opéra de Paris, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. VEGA - VAL 18 - Offenbach: La belle HélèneLa belle HélèneLa belle Hélène , opéra bouffe in three acts, is an operetta by Jacques Offenbach to an original French libretto by Henri Meilhac and Ludovic Halévy...
- Jane Rhodes, Bernard Plantey, Jean GiraudeauJean GiraudeauJean Giraudeau, born Toulon, 1 July 1916, died 7 February 1995, was a French tenor, and later theatre director, particularly associated with the Opéra-Comique in Paris, and described as having a “lyrical voice” as well as being “a superb character actor”....
, Michel Hamel, Jacques Doucet, Bernard Demigny, Andrine Forli; Orchestra and Chorus of the Opéra-ComiqueOpéra-ComiqueThe Opéra-Comique is a Parisian opera company, which was founded around 1714 by some of the popular theatres of the Parisian fairs. In 1762 the company was merged with, and for a time took the name of its chief rival the Comédie-Italienne at the Hôtel de Bourgogne, and was also called the...
, Paris, conducted by Manuel Rosenthal. Philips GL5664
External links
- On-line biography
- Radio France biography
- Manuel Rosenthal interview by Bruce Duffie, September 9, 1985