Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
2. Bereavement
Tuesday 18 January 2005 12:00-13:00 (Radio 3)
Repeated: Tuesday 25 January 2005 0:00-1:00 (Radio 3)
In 1899 Lili Boulanger's beloved father, Ernest, died in the middle of a conversation with her. The impact of this traumatic event was profound and Lili keenly missed him. Life in the Boulanger family home altered dramatically, and his room there was kept locked for five years. It was then necessary for Lili's elder sister Nadia to supplement the family income, which she did by studying with Gabriel Faure. Faure.would often come to the house and hear Lili singing some of her own songs. She had perfect pitch and Faure, whilst accompanying her on the piano, would marvel at her talents. Many of Lili's finest works are tinged with grief, and Nadia Boulanger said of her sister, "I believe that her whole talent was rooted in her first knowledge of grief. When our father died, she was six years old. And at six she understood what death was; that it is the grief of surviving someone you love."
With Donald Macleod.
Playlist
Lili Boulanger: les Sirènes
Christine Friedek (soprano), Sabine Eberspächer (piano), Heidelberg Madrigal Choir, Gerald Kegelmann (conductor)
BAYER BR 100041
Track 1
Nadia Boulanger: Three Songs (1910)
Rebecca de Pont Davies (mezzo-contralto), Claire Toomer (piano)
LORELT LNT 109
Tracks 6,7,8
Lili Boulanger: Pour les Funerailles d'un Soldat
Vincent le Texier (baritone), Namur Symphony Chorus, Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra, Mark Stringer (conductor)
TIMPANI 1C1046
Track 2
Lili Boulanger: Theme and Variations (for piano solo)
Marco Polo 8.223636
Track 1
Lili Boulanger: Clairières dans le Ciel (songs 1 to 5)
Heidi Grant Murphy (soprano), Kevin Murphy (piano)
ARABESQUE Z 6754
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