Ernest Chausson

Donald Macleod explores the friendships, influences and struggles
in the life and work of Ernest Chausson. Amédée-Ernest Chausson
grew up in Paris during a period of great political, social and
economic upheaval in France, from the outbreak of the
Franco-Prussian War to the advent of the Third Republic. His
family, however, was materially little affected, profiting from
their involvement in Napoleon’s remodelling of the medieval city
into wide open boulevards. Living a bourgeois lifestyle amongst
the salon society of the mid-nineteenth century, they boasted an
extensive art collection in their family mansion, where Chausson
later remained with his wife and children. Supported by a private
income unlike most of his creative peers, he was able to devote
himself to composing with no financial pressure. But Chausson’s
life wasn’t without a care in the world. Critics saw him as a
dilettante, and his relatively small output reflects the agonies
of doubt in his mind. He battled to find his own voice at a time
when Wagner had cast a long shadow over French music - his only
opera took almost ten years to complete. This struggle for
artistic recognition was only just turning a corner when he died
unexpectedly at the age of 44 in 1899.


In this episode, Donald Macleod looks at the cultural advantages
of Chausson’s family circle, fostering his passion for art which
he indulged at home and on his travels. He uncovers Chausson’s
musical friendships with Debussy and Franck, and his struggles to
create – the torment of writing a symphony, and how enchanted
forests, myths and legends inspired his rare forays into the
world of theatre. Music featured: Pièce for cello (or viola) and
piano, Op 39 Sérénade italienne; Les papillons; La dernière
feuille, (7 Melodies, Op 2) La caravane Serres chaudes, Op 24
Poème for violin and orchestra L’aveu; Apaisement, Op 13 Andante
and Allegro Viviane, op 5 Piano Trio in G minor, Op 3 (4th mvt)
Symphony in B flat, Op 20 (3rd mvt) Sicilienne, Op 21 4 Mélodies,
Op 8 Symphony in B flat, Op 20 (1st mvt) Poème de l’amour et de
la mer, Op 19 La Nuit, Op 11 Chanson perpetuelle, Op 37 Soir de
Fête, Op 32 Piano Quartet in A major Op 30 (1st mvt) La Légende
de Sainte-Cécile, Op 22 (Act 3 Finale) Dans la forêt du charme et
de l’enchantement, Op 36 no 2 Excerpts from La Tempête; La
Légende de Ste Cécile; Le roi Arthus


For full tracklistings, including artist and recording details,
and to listen to the pieces featured in full (for 30 days after
broadcast) head to the series page for Chausson:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000092k And you can delve into
the A-Z of all the composers we’ve featured on Composer of the
Week here:
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/3cjHdZlXwL7W41XGB77X3S0/composers-a-to-z