Jacques Ibert

Ibert's music is considered to be typically quite "light" in character, often witty, colourfully orchestrated with attractive melodies.

Although he was not a member of Les Six, his music shares some characteristics with theirs. His best known work is probably the orchestral Divertissement (1930), based on his incidental music for Eugene Labiche's play, Un Chapeau de paille d'Italie (The Italian Straw Hat). Other prominent pieces include Escales (1924) for orchestra, the symphonic poem La Ballade de la geole de Reading (based on the poem by Oscar Wilde), his concertos for flute and saxophone and Le petit ane blanc for solo piano.

He composed a number of operas, L'Aiglon (The Eaglet) and the operetta Les Petites Cardinal in collaboration with Arthur Honegger. Among his film scores is the one for Orson Welles' version of Macbeth (1948).

His music for wind instruments is very pleasing.
Year / Artwork Title Importance Medium
1917 Trois Pièces pour Orgue (Musette) 4.00 out of 5 stars CD
Comments:
Arturo Sacchetti - Organ
1922 Escales 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Escales Comments:
1. Rome
2. Tunis
3. Valance

Orchestre d'ORTF cond. Jean Martinon
1927 Valse
Jacques Ibert - Escales Comments:
Part of L'Eventail de Jeanne (Ballet)

Philharmonia Orchestra cond. Geoffrey Simon.
1930 Divertissement 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Divertissement Comments:
Part of incidental musoc from Le Capeau de paille d'Italie

Paris Conservatoire Orchestra cond. Jean Martinon
1930 Trois Pièces Brèves 3.50 stars LP
Le chasseur maudit, poème symphonique Comments:
Dorian Wind Quintet
1930 Trois Pièces Brèves 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Trois Pièces Brèves Comments:
Vienna Wind Solists
1930 Paris (Suite symphonique) 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Paris [Suite symphonique] Comments:
Saves you a trip to Paris.

Lively pictorial suite on everyday life.

Chamber Orchestra of the Leningrad Philharmony
Cond. Gennadi Roshdestwensky
1934 Concerto for Flute and Orchestra 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Flute Comments:
James Galway - Flute
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra cond. Charles Dutoit
1935 Concertino da Camera for Alto Saxophone and String Orchestra 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Saxophone Comments:
Eugène Rousseau - Saxophone
Chamber Orchestra cond. Paul Kuentz
1942 Ouverture de fête 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Ouverture Comments:
Orchestre de l'ORTF cond. Jean Martinon
1946 Interludiums for Flute, Violin and Harle 4.00 out of 5 stars CD
Comments:
Koos Verheul - Flute
Agnes Houtsmuller - Violin
Jan van der Meer
1957 Tropismes 4.00 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - Tropismes Comments:
Pour des amours imaginaires

Orchestre d'ORTF cond. Jean Martinon
Compilation  L'OEuvre pour Piano 4.50 out of 5 stars LP
Jacques Ibert - L'OEuvre pour Piano Comments:
This is a complete collection of Ibert's charming piano music.
The little white donkey used to be a crowd pleaser.

Le vent dans la ruines (1915)
Histoires (1922)
Les Recontres (1921-1924)
Toccata sur le nom d'Albert Roussel (1929)
Petite suite en quinze images (1943)

Françoise Gobet - piano
Compilation  Complete Chamber Music 4.00 out of 5 stars CD
Jacques Ibert - Complete Chamber Music Comments:
Imagine, you sit on a French terrasse, sunshine, enjoying a nice glass of wine, and on the sidewalk beautiful women pass by. At that moment you would like to hear this kind of music.
And the 2 cd's would likely be cheaper than your glass of wine. A Dutch chemist produces these cd's. Do they have any idea what kind of music this is, or was it an offer they could not refuse? The performances are ok.

Six Pièces for solo harp (1916/17)
Deux mouvements for wind quartet (1921)
Jeux, sonatine for flute and piano (1923)
Le Jardinier de Samos for flute, clarinet, trumpet, violin, cello and percussion (1924)
Française for solo guitar (1926)
Aria for flute, violin and piano (1927)
Trois pièces brèves for wind quintet (1930)
Pastoral for four pipes (1934
Entr'acte for flute and guitar (1935)
Ariette for solo guitar (1935)
L'age d'or, extrait du "Chevalier errant"for alto saxophone and piano (1935/36)
Pièce for solo flute (1936)
Quatuor à cordes (1937-42)
Trio for violin, cello and harp (1944)
Deux Interludes for flute, violin and harpsichord (1946)
Étude-caprice pour un tombeau de Chopinfor cello solo (1949)
Ghirlarzana for cello solo (1950)
Caprilena for solo violin (1950)
Impromptu for trumpet and piano (1950)
Carignane for bassoon and piano (1953)

Eleonore Pameijer, flute
Pauline Oostenrijk, oboe
Hans Colbers, clarinet
Peter Gaasterland, bassoon
Arno Bornkamp, saxophone
Herman Jeurissen, horn
Peter Masseurs, trumpet
Ernestine Stoop, harp
Olga Franssen, guitar
Helenus de Rijke, guitar
Sepp Grotenhuis, piano
Menno van Delft, harpsichord
Arnold Marinissen, percussion and pipe
Nieuw Nederlands Strijkkwartet:
Kees Hülsmann, violin, Mieke Biesta, violin,
Gerrit Oldeman, viola, Marien van Staalen, cello