Trois chansons de Guillevic

Guillevic is one of the major French poets of the 20th century and a passionate translator; he translated the works of József Attila - one of the most prominent figures in 20th-century Hungarian literature and poetry - into French.

The first piece in this cycle of three songs for voice and piano, “Le menuisier” (“The Carpenter”), could almost serve as a manifesto for my own work: with what love the carpenter assembles his planks! I, too, assemble words - and, at its core, it is the very same thing. (I have always held the artisan in high regard, just as I place great importance on the technical and craft-based dimensions of art; conversely, I despise negligence, shoddy work, and the sort of disorganized, charlatan-like behavior that cloaks itself in the trappings of genius.)

The second song, “Roses,” is a poem imbued with a delicate eroticism, underscored by dodecaphonic harmonies.

In its conclusion, the final song, “Le goût de la paix” (“The Taste for Peace”), subtly evokes our willingness to accept anything in order to preserve peace; it is a serene tableau, painted in pastel hues. — Ferenc Farkas