Honegger: Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher (Live)

Featuring

Marc Soustrot
Marion Cotillard
Xavier Gallais
Yann Beuron
Maria Hinojosa Montenegro
Marta Almajano

Aude Extrémo
Anna Moreno-Lasalle
Eric Martin-Bonnet
Carles Romero Vidal
Pep Planas
Orquesta Sinfónica de Barcelona y Nacional de Cataluñya
Cor Madrigal
Cor Lieder Càmera
Cor Vivaldi – Petits Cantors de Catalunya
Arthur Honegger

Did you know?

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Composition History

Paul Claudel initially refused to write the text for Ida Rubinstein's production but later provided "La Sagesse ou la Parabole du Festin," which was never staged.

Compositional Technique

The work is not a historical opera but presents Joan of Arc as a mystical, providential figure, with her execution scene softened by the intervention of the Virgin and heavenly chorus, following a tradition in opera.

Composition History

The connection between composer Arthur Honegger and poet Paul Claudel for "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" was facilitated by the dancer Ida Rubinstein, who had worked with both artists.

Compositional Technique

Honegger's score for "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" features an eclectic musical palette, including cyclic cells as leitmotifs, Gregorian chant, rhythmic themes, polyphony, melodrama, and thematic melodies.

Composition History

Arthur Honegger had previously collaborated with prominent poets like Paul Valéry and Jean Cocteau before working on "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" with Paul Claudel.

Composition History

"Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" was the only work from a planned "Tétralogie du Mal" (Tetralogy of Evil) to be successfully completed and premiered.

Notable Performances

The acclaimed first performance of "Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher" was a concert version in Basel in 1938, conducted by Paul Sacher, with the stage premiere occurring in Zurich in 1942.