The French composer Lili Boulanger died at the young age of 24. The fresh and mature sounds produced by this exceptional talent reach straight to the heart and shake it strongly.

Lili Boulanger
21 August 1893 – 15 March 1918

Born in Paris, France, to a musical family including a composer father, Lili was a child prodigy from an early age, blessed with a talent for music.
Despite the constraints of her health, Lili enjoyed learning to play a variety of instruments from an early age and learned to compose music from mentors such as Georges Caussade, and she became the first woman to play music at the age of just 19 It was a great achievement to win the " Prix de Rome" composition prize
She was only 24 years old when she ended her life, so the number of works she has left to create is not great, but although they celebrate the freshness of her youth, they are by no means "immature".
(Kaoru Tani)

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[D'un Vieux Jardin (from the old garden)]
Composed 26-27 May 1914 and completed 3 June 1914

[D'un Jardin Clair (from the bright garden)]
Composed on 15-18 June 1914, completed on 19 June

Both pieces were composed at the Villa Medici in Rome. The Villa Medici was a place where young artists, winners of the Rome Prize, could stay and create. Lili stayed there for about four months in 1914 and 1915 respectively to create his works.
"From the Old Garden" is the first piano piece written in the Villa Medici. It was first written in the Villa Medici and is marked with detailed velocity and dynamics in his handwriting. The beautiful lines of the melody and the harmonies, which fluctuate between different tonalities but remain firm, offer a glimpse into the shadows and depths of the garden, the light and shadows, and even the history of the old garden. Though short, it shows the depth of the world that Lili creates.
"From the Bright Garden" is a work that captures the glimmer of light in the garden in early summer. The title was given to the piece when it was published by Ricordi after Lili's death. Various instructions have been written into this piece as well, down to the smallest detail. The music starts brightly and freshly but gradually becomes an afternoon slumber. A lovely piece that reminds us of Lili's inner life.
(Yuki Nambu)

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[Les sirenes (Sirens)]
Composed in 1911

Lili was 18 years old when she wrote "Les Sirenes", the earliest of her works to date, including Les Sirenes, written when she was 18, which she herself discarded as she may have composed before the age of 17.
Sirene is the Greek equivalent of the water nymph Sirens, the beautiful sisters, half human and half bird*, whose beautiful voices are said to enchanted sailors and lead them to their doom (or death). (*The bottom half of the body was later transformed into the story of a fish mermaid.

The text, by Charles Grandmougin, a Parisian poet of Lili's time, opens with the striking words of Sirène and her friends: 'We are beauty itself, we deceive every strong man.

The work is written for soprano solo, female chorus and piano, but there is a trio designated as a 'backstage chorus', which is accompanied by a tenor part as well as a female voice. The orchestration is reminiscent of an opera, but it is also known that Lili had a lifelong passion for composing operas (he died unfinished), and it may have been his vision of these ideas that led him to compose this piece.

The beginning of the piece begins with a 28-bar ostinato in cis (c♯) on the low piano, inviting the listener into a world of fantasy. The vocal part begins with an imitation of Sirene's three sisters opening their mouths in turn, and none of the parts are devoted to 'accompaniment', but each has its own beautiful insistence. From the middle section onwards, the piano sings a solo amidst a constant stream of sixteenth notes, followed by the chorus singing 'We are the immortal sisters' in a loud and powerful way. After the recapitulation, the last part ends quietly, as if Sirene and her colleagues' voices were disappearing into the sea.

In this performance, in addition to the three-part female chorus performed by an ensemble of three singers, the backstage chorus scenes were recorded by the voices of the singers themselves, which was made possible only by recording, so that you can fully enjoy the voices of Sirène and her friends.
(Kaoru Tani)

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Direction: Kaoru Tani
Recording Editor: Kaoru Tani, Kota Yanagishima
Video Production: Kaoru Tani
Translation: Ayako Kosaka
Support Singer: Takeshi Tajiri (Tenor)


Translated with www.DeepL.com