L'Heure bleue (Boulanger, Debussy, Finzi, Poulenc, Ravel, Waksman) Quatuor Zahir

• Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918): Trois chansons de Charles d'Orléans, L. 99 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Florent Louman):
• 1Debussy: Trois chansons de Charles d'Orléans, L. 99 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Florent Louman): I. Dieu ! qu'il la fait bon regarder !02:04
• 2Debussy: Trois chansons de Charles d'Orléans, L. 99 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Florent Louman): II. Quant j'ai ouy le tabourin01:38
• 3Debussy: Trois chansons de Charles d'Orléans, L. 99 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Florent Louman): III. Yver, vous n'estes qu'un vilain01:50
• Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937): Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 4Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau)05:12
• Claude Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas):
• 5Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas): I. En bateau03:59
• 6Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas): II. Cortège03:19
• Fabien Waksman (b. 1980): Les Lunes galantes:
• 7Waksman: Les Lunes galantes03:55
• Claude Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas):
• 8Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas): III. Menuet03:10
• 9Debussy: Petite Suite, L. 71a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Alexandros Markeas): IV. Ballet03:12
• Maurice Ravel: À la manière de Borodine, M. 63/1 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 10Ravel: À la manière de Borodine, M. 63/1 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau)01:51
• Graciane Finzi (b. 1945): Une Petite Suite:
• 11Finzi: Une Petite Suite: I. Stabilité mouvante01:58
• 12Finzi: Une Petite Suite: II. Et passe le temps…03:01
• 13Finzi: Une Petite Suite: III. Hiver01:55
• 14Finzi: Une Petite Suite: IV. Chiacchierata03:16
• Claude Debussy: Rêverie, L. 76 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Vincent David):
• 15Debussy: Rêverie, L. 76 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Vincent David)04:22
• Nadia Boulanger (1887 - 1979): Trois Pièces (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 16Boulanger: Trois Pièces (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): I. Modéré03:04
• 17Boulanger: Trois Pièces (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): II. Sans vitesse et à l'aise01:32
• 18Boulanger: Trois Pièces (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): III. Vite et nerveusement rythmé03:03
• Claude Debussy: Clair de lune, L. 82a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 19Debussy: Clair de lune, L. 82a (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau)04:16
• Maurice Ravel: Trois Chansons, M. 69 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 20Ravel: Trois Chansons, M. 69 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): I. Nicolette01:42
• 21Ravel: Trois Chansons, M. 69 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): II. Trois beaux oiseaux du paradis02:37
• 22Ravel: Trois Chansons, M. 69 (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau): III. Ronde01:34
• Francis Poulenc (1899 - 1963): Les Chemins de l'amour, FP 106-Ia (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau):
• 23Poulenc: Les Chemins de l'amour, FP 106-Ia (Arr. for Saxophone Quartet by Guillaume Berceau)03:21
• Total Runtime01:05:51

Info for L'Heure bleue (Boulanger, Debussy, Finzi, Poulenc, Ravel, Waksman)

The four saxophonists of the Quatuor Zahir set the scene for this second recording, which brings together the emblematic composers of twentieth-century France and their masterpieces.

Ravel's Pavane pour une infante défunte and Trois Chansons, Nadia Boulanger's Trois Pièces, Poulenc's Chemins de l'amour, Charles d'Orléans's Trois Chansons, Debussy's Petite Suite and Rêverie all take on the warm timbres of their instruments in these arrangements for saxophone quartet, revealing new colours.

They are echoed by two premières, Graciane Finzi's Petite Suite and Fabien Waksman's Les Lunes galantes, conceived as a fifth movement to Debussy's Petite Suite.

Here, the Quatuor Zahir is reaffirming its commitment to creation, its virtuosity too, but above all the singularity of its unique musical identity.

Quatuor Zahir

Quatuor Zahir
Born in 2015, this young group already performs in many festivals in France and around the world, but it is in 2017 that the Zahir Quartet distinguishes itself by winning the 9th International Chamber Music Competition in Osaka (Japan), thus gaining recognition on the international scene. They have since been invited to the Wigmore Hall in London, the Philharmonie de Paris, the Folles Journées in Nantes, the Festival de Radio France in Montpellier, the Forest and Sully Festivals, the Acropolis in Nice and the Toppan Hall in Tokyo.

A graduate of the Paris Conservatory and currently in residence at the Fondation Singer-Polignac, the Zahir Quartet is also a laureate of the 2016 FNAPEC International Chamber Music Competition, has won gold medals at the Manhattan, Vienna and Berliner International Music Competition of 2019 and is sponsored by pianist Jean-François Zygel since his appearance on France 2 in the program "La Boîte à Musique". In 2018, the Quartet produces its first compact disc Zahir under the Klarthe label. This recording shows the values that unite the ensemble: the sharing of a common sensibility, an acute requirement and the desire to renew the musical landscape.

Like the romantic hero of P. Coelho's Zahir, who sets out in search of a romantic ideal, these four saxophonists are committed to the evolution of the quartet genre. Whether by interpreting the original repertoire, thanks to their encounters with numerous composers such as Bruno Mantovani, Thierry Escaich and Graciane Finzi, or by collaborating with numerous artists : David Bismuth, Félicien Brut, Jean-Charles Richard, Jean-Denis Michat, Les chanteurs d'oiseaux, these musicians show their curiosity and creativity.

An idea comes up, a person we meet, and suddenly it seems obvious. This is the essence of Zahir, the Arabic word for "that which is apparent, explicit", or something that once known, occupies all our thoughts.

Booklet for L'Heure bleue (Boulanger, Debussy, Finzi, Poulenc, Ravel, Waksman)