This next composer in our French Composers’ Names series is Henri Dutilleux, a French composer whose work is often said to be in the tradition of Ravel, Debussy, or even Roussel. A kind of a free thinker, I rather like what he said about the dark years that followed WWII: “What I reject is the dogma and the authoritarianism which manifested themselves in that period.”
Pronunciation wise, the challenging element (apart from the French u see Murail) is probably the semivowel –lleux. It is pronounced as a glide, as if you were trying to say “yuh” in English. Here it is:
[audio:http://icareifyoulisten.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/ICIYL-Henri-Dutilleux.mp3] Link to MP3: ICIYL – Henri Dutilleux | Get Henri Dutilleux scores!I leave you with his Blackbird (1950), one of a few chamber pieces he wrote, performed by Anne Queffélec.
Check out the entire French Composers’ Names series or suggest one we haven’t covered on Twitter at @icareifulisten.
