Holmes and Duparc

Donald Macleod and Anastasia Belina explore the lives and music of Augusta Holmès and Henri Duparc.

Imagine creating a grand spectacle that demands 1,200 performers, along with the most lavish sets and costumes. You might think that the figure behind such an extraordinary achievement would have staked a claim on immortality, yet despite achieving considerable fame in her own lifetime, this is not the fate that befell Augusta Holmès. Over the passage of time her name has disappeared into obscurity, whilst that of her direct contemporary, Henri Duparc has grown and prospered. These days he’s regarded as one of the leading figures of French song, yet it’s still the case that relatively little is known about his life.

In Duparc’s case his is a reputation built on the slenderest of musical means, some seventeen mélodies. By contrast, Holmès’ l’Ode Triomphale, which was written to mark the centenary of France’s 1789 revolution, is the largest of a generous collection of large scale orchestral works, to which you can also add four operas, the last of which was mounted at the Paris Opera in 1895, as well as considerable catalogue of songs.

To shed light on Holmès' music, several of her works have been recorded by the BBC Performing Groups, as part of the Forgotten Women Composers project, which was developed by the BBC in association with the Arts and Humanities Research Council. Helping Donald Macleod uncover more about the little known Augusta Holmès and Henri Duparc, is Anastasia Belina, a music historian with a particular interest in nineteenth century music and women composers.

Music Featured: Duparc: Chansons triste Duparc: Aux étoiles Holmès: Trois petites pièces for flute and piano Holmès: Rolando Furieux Duparc: L’invitation au voyage Holmès: Molto lento Duparc: Sérénade, Le manoir de Rosemonde,Soupir Holmès: À Trianon Duparc: Sonata in A minor for cello and piano Holmès: Ouverture pour une comèdie Holmès: La Haine (excerpt) Duparc: La Vague et la cloche Holmès: Memento mei deus Duparc: Lénore, symphonic poem Duparc: Au pays où se fait la guerre Holmès: Irlande Duparc: Sérénade Florentine Duparc: Extase Holmès: Pologne Duparc: Le Galop, Romance de Mignon Holmès: La vision de la Reine Duparc: Phidylé Holmès: La Nuit et l’Amour (from Ludus pro Patria) Duparc: Élégie Holmès: Le château du rêve Duparc: Danse lente Holmès: Andromède Duparc: La via antérieure

Presented by Donald Macleod Produced by Johannah Smith for BBC Wales

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 Holmes & Duparc, where you can also find links to the documents mentioned https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000kn8f

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