Search - Graf, Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra :: Dutilleux: Orchestral Works I

"Henri Dutilleux?s originality doesn?t lie on the surface; it reveals itself as one gets to know the music. On the face of it he seems easy to categorise as a composer who found a happy compromise between postwar modernism and French tradition ? between Boulez and Ravel (or the more conservative Albert Roussel), you might say. In fact the combination of luminous, subtly shifting soundscapes and controlled energy in the Second Symphony and Métaboles isn?t like anybody else. There?s a sense of freedom, too, which implies a composer following his own course rather than simply trying to steer a middle way...I?ve never heard [Dutilleux] more exciting." (**** rating!) BBC MUSIC MAGAZINE Born in 1916, Henri Dutilleux, a student and then professor at the Paris Conservatory, has long been acknowledged as one of France?s most important composers of the 20th century. Arte Nova is the only label ever to have recorded all the orchestral music of Henri Dutilleux, a project which has been highly praised by reviewers worldwide. The Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra has existed under several different names since its founding in the city of Bordeaux, capital of the Aquitaine province in southwestern France, in 1850. The orchestra performs in the splendid Bordeaux Opera House, which stages over 200 productions every year. Conductor Hans Graf, a native of Austria and former student of the legendary Sergiu Celibidache, won first prize in the Karl Böhm conducting competition in 1979. Since then he has worked with major orchestras in Europa, America and Asia, being named principal conductor of the Houston Symphony Orchestra in 2001. Graf has worked with the Bordeaux Aquitaine National Orchestra since 1993, serving as its principal conductor 1998-2004.