French Music between the Wars

A discussion, with live performance, of French piano music after Fauré, Debussy and Ravel. Works of Erik Satie and the group known as les Six (Francis Poulenc, Arthur Honegger, George Auric, Albert Roussel, Darius Milhaud, and the only women in the group, Germaine Taillefaire ) will be heard. We will also examine how cultural life in Paris in the 1920’s and 30’s influenced innovation in the other arts. Not a complete list, but Proust, Cocteau, Gide, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Stravinsky, Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, and Coco Chanel all lived and worked in Paris during this time and contributed to the major artistic upheavals between 1919 and 1939.

Class Recordings:

Class 1 - May 5

Class 2 - May 12

Class 3 - May 19

Class 4 - May 26


Group Leader: LUCIENNE DAVIDSON
Venue:
Meets on: Wednesdays 1:00 to 3:00 pm
Starting: 5/5/2021
Sessions: 4
Class Size: unlimited
Teaching Style: Lecture with questions
Weekly Preparation: Optional

Pianist Lucienne Davidson was born in Paris and raised in NYC. She entered Juilliard at age nine, and continued musical studies at Yale, Bennington College, and NEC. She made her piano recital debut at Weill Recital Hall in 1989, and has performed in Europe and the U.S. as a soloist, chamber musician, and with orchestra. Additionally, she served for two years as Chamber Music Assistant to the eminent pianist and teacher, Leonard Shure; was Chamber Music Co-coordinator at NEC; and was Founder and Artistic Director of Musique à Midi at the French Library and Cultural Center.