Rare music scores with the Médiathèque Musicale Mahler – 1994

As part of the competition, the Médiathèque Musicale Mahler, settled in Paris and collecting thousands of documents on composers from 19th and 20th centuries, lent fifteen music scores to the musée des Beaux-Arts of Orléans. The visitor discovered among others the last page of the “Rite of Spring” by Stravinsky. But also partitions from Dukas, Dutilleux, Jolivet…

Dates:

From February 28th to March 9th, 1994.

Place:

Musée des Beaux-Arts of Orléans.

Detailed Presentation:

The Médiathèque Musicale Gustav Mahler, under the patronage of a renowned Austrian composer, has one of the richest collection in France of archives on French piano music.

From private collections of Alfred Cortot, Isidore Philipp, Yvonne Lefébure, Marguerite Long and Reine Gianoli, this funds of manuscripts, autographs from printed music scores, iconographic documents, embraced the 20th century musical creation and interpretation landscape. It was quite naturally that the Médiathèque Musicale Gustav Mahler and OCI got together to present, through some musical manuscripts, an overview of the music of our time.

« We are in the presence of eminently graphic pieces. They propose a double lecture: people can translate them into music but also look at them in a simple aim of aesthetically contemplation. »

 

Eric Moinet, Musée des Beaux-Arts of Orléans Curator in 1994

These composers manuscripts of our century are very interesting for many reasons: precious for the proximity of a place where piano works of these composers live throught again for a moment, perfect in their incompleteness, moving because full of memories and disturbing sometimes for their audacious design. The musician is also an craftperson, crossing out and going back over the work. These drafts witnessed it.

« These documents are moving, because full of memories. We can see the artist touch. It is a way to be as closely as possible to the artist. »

 

Françoise Thinat, International piano competition of Orléans President