Paysages et Marines op. 63
1. Sur la falaise – 2. Matin calme – 3. Promenade vers la mer – 4. Le chant du chevrier – 5. Soir d’été – 6. Ceux qui s’en vont pêcher au large, dans la nuit – 7. Soir d’angoisses – 8. La chanson des pommiers en fleurs – 9. Paysage d’octobre – 10. Chant de pêcheurs – 11. Dans les grands champs – 12. Poème virgilien
Composed between 1915 and 1916, at the same time as Koechlin was working on his Heures persanes, the Paysages et Marines cycle was not first performed in its original version for solo piano, but in an arrangement by the composer for flute, violin and piano. This premiere was given before the end of World War One—on 11 March 1917—at an “Art et Liberté” concert, performed by Roger Désormière, Yvonne Giraud and Jeanne Herscher. Initially entitled Pastorales et Marines, the cycle is an exploration of polytonality, which was later adopted by the younger generation of French composers—led by Milhaud. This treatment of harmony serves to evoke a multitude of images or moods, from the fresh breeze skimming over the waves (Promenade vers la mer) to the melancholy hues of autumn (Paysage d’Octobre) or the magical colours of a Soir d’été. Rather than the orientalism of Les Heures persanes, this work explores French, essentially Breton, folklore. The musicologist Robert Orledge, who regards these as the most interesting pieces from Kœchlin’s second period of composition, also draws attention to their melodic treatment: the long lines created in the Paysages et Marines bring to mind Art Nouveau arabesques and are, at times, reminiscent of plainsong. The cycle, which contains imitations of the natural world and renditions of folksongs or sea shanties, concludes with a Poème virgilien, at the end of which Koechlin notes—beside the last tempo marking of “Bien calme” (very peaceful)—a line from Virgil’s Bucolics: “Majoresque cadunt altis de montibus umbræ” (“The shadows lengthen as they fall from the lofty mountains.”)