Apocalypse de Jean is available in at least three vinyl packagings. The two that I know of are both from the French Philips' prospective 21e siècle series. One is a box set of 3 records that comes with an album size booklet with the text of the piece in English, French and German. The 3 records were also available individually with at least two different covers. All 3 records are packaged with a similar cover. Each record is distinguished from the others by a volume number located in the center of the cover. The box and set 1 of the individual packagings share a similar cover design.
3 individual LPs
(France, Philips 6521 001, 6521 002, 6521 003) prospective
21e siècle; metallic back cover; green labels1
(France, Philips
6521 002) prospective 21e siècle; grey cover
with design, black labels. I assume that the other
volumes were issued with this same packaging.22A collaboration between Henry and rock group Spooky Tooth. Written by Gary Wright and Pierre Henry. Mike Harrison - lead vocals; Mike Kellie - drums; Luther Grosvenor - guitar; Gary Wright - organ, piano; Andy Leigh - bass guitar.
"Improvisations sonores enregistrées en public lors du concert d'inauguration du 8e congrès international d'Electro-encéphalographie et de Neurophysiologie clinique à Marseille le 5 septembre 1973." from the French Philips liner notes. What a performance this must have been to witness, as this is one of the most over-the-top recordings of all time.
(France, Philips
6510 015) black labels1"Scènes musicales inspirées de 'Dieu' de Victor Hugo; création au Festival de Lille 1977 et à Paris au Palais des Arts." from the French Philips liner notes. There is only one release of this to my knowledge.
(France, Philips 6510 019,
1978) black labels; gatefold cover with French
transcription of some of the texts of "Dieu."1"Concert d'après la manifestation sonore et visuelle en hommage à LUIGI RUSSOLO, musicien et peintre futuriste, créée le 16 octobre 1975 au Grand Théâtre de Chaillot à Paris," from liner notes of the only pressing that I know of, French Philips.
(France, Philips
6510 020, 1980) gatefold cover; black labels1A 1962 recording. Also contains a recording of Granulométrie that was realized in 1962 in collaboration with poet Francois Dufrêne. Available on French Mantra CD.
(France, Philips
836.892 DSY) prospective 21e siècle; white back
cover; green labels1According to liner notes for a Limelight recording, the score for La Reine Verte consists of 22 pieces. Sixteen of those pieces make up the entirety of the French Philips release, "La Reine Verte, musique originale du spectacle de Maurice Béjart." The recording dates from a performance in Paris at Theater Hebertot on October 11, 1963. The UniDisc issue contains 22 pieces which appears to be the entire performance. Contributor Gregor Meyer wrote up a detailed comparison of the Philips and UniDisc versions.
Five excerpts of The Green Queen, as titled on a US Limelight release, are from the Theater Hebertot performance. Says Pierre Henry on the Limelight liner notes: "(This score) calls upon pure electronic resources and the electro-acoustic methods of concrete music. In associating the timbres of the orchestral instruments with the artificial sonorities of experimental music, I was not only in search of unwonted conceits, but I tried also to establish through a certain variety of writing and style, a lyrical or even a poetic counterpoint to the different forms of this spectacle."
(France, Philips
6332 015) black labels; October 11, 1963 performance1
(France, UniDisc
STE 30 3005) another issue of UniDisc UD 30 137M.1Le Microphone bien tempere is composed of pieces realized between 1950 and 1951. I think that there is only one pressing. Available on French Mantra CD Des Annes 50
(France, INA
Collection GRM AM006.08) gatefold cover1Le Voyage has been released in several different packagings. I'm not sure if they are all the same recording or not. There was more than one performance of the work. Excerpt from the liner notes of the Mercury issue: "In 1955 Henry met Maurice Béjart, a choreographer who was using musique concrete to accompany the experimental ballets he created. Encouraged by Béjart, henry composed for him Le Voyage (The Voyage), based on The Tibetan Book of the Dead. The work was first heard on April 15, 1962, in Cologne; but Henry produced another version in the church of St. Julian-le-Pauvre in Paris on June 25, 1963." Issued on CD by French Philips Classics series, 412 706-2 with Messe pour le temps present.
(US, Mercury
SR90482) maroon labels1
(US, Limelight LS
86049) unipack gatefold cover; previously released as
Mercury SR 904824
(UK, Philips
4FE8000 (836 899 DSY), 1966) Four Front Stereo;
white labels3
(France,
Philips 836 899) black labels20I have seen at least two different pressings of this album, and I suspect more exist. There is no indication that it is from a public performance.
(France, Philips
6510 013, 1973) black labels; cover mentions other Henry
releases: Mouvement-Rhythme-Étude 6504 052, Symphonie
pour un Homme Seul/Concerto des Ambiguités 6510
012, and Messe Pour Le Temps Presént extracts
of: Le Voyage, La Reine Verte, Variations pour une
porte et soupir 836 8931
(Canada, Philips 6510 013,
1973) red labels; similar to 1 but with incredible back
cover photo of Pierre wearing beads on his head and
holding a poster that reads "SEX."5From the back of the Canadian pressing: "La Messe de Liverpool a ete creee le 26 Mai 1967 en la Cathedrale Metropolitaine du Christ-Roi de Liverpool. Cette oeuvre est une commande de la Commission pour l’edification de la cathedrale. a l’occasion des manifestations d’inaugaration placees sous la direction du choregraphe Bill Harpe." Realisation sonore: Pierre Henry. Collaboration vocale: Jacques Spacagna. Phonemes et Assistante: Marie-Luce Staib.
(France, Philips
6510 001, 1970) black labels; trifold cover; similar
liner notes as below1This record has been released in several different countries. The excerpts from La Reine Verte are from the October 11, 1963 performance that is the source of the full-length La Reine Verte record. There were some singles issued of sections of Messe pour le temps present. The excerpts are Fevre & Mort from Variations..., and Les Divinités Paisibles from Le Voyage. The Limelight issue omits the Le Voyage excerpt. There are two back cover versions of the Limelight issue. The difference is subtle. One lists the credits for each piece and credits both Henry and Colombier on Mass for Today, while the other omits individual piece credits and states "All selections composed and realized by Pierre Henry."
(US, Limelight LS
86065) October 11, 1963 performance of The Green
Queen1
(England, Philips
4FE8004 (836 893 DSY)) Four Front Stereo series;
white labels. copyright 196813"Variations et improvisations sonores sur les ondes électriques du cerveau, enregistrées en direct lors des concerts donnés au Musée d'Art Moderne de la ville de Paris en février 1971," from the French Philips jacket. This is a heavy recording.
(France, Philips
6521 022) prospective 21e siècle; metallic back
cover; black labels.1
This is a unique jacket in the series as it has some sort
of black coating over the metallic, foil design. It is
the only prospective 21e siècle disc like it
that I know of.From the single sleeve Philips release: "Musique de Nijinsky, Clown de dieu. Creation: Maurice Béjart (barre-fiction dediee a). Creation en concert: Palais des sports de Toulouse 5 Decembre 1970. Creation en spectacle: Palais des sports de Bruzelles, 8 Octobre 1971, Palais des sports de Paris, 13 Janvier 1972"
(France, Philips 6504 052) red labels;
collection Trésors Classiques super
artistique-stéréo. fantastic triple gatefold, heavy,
book-like packaging with photos of one of the
performances of the ballet9"Concert spontané créé le 11 Septembre 1971 à la Fête de l'Humanité et dansé le 16 août 1975 à la Fête aux Tuileries par Maurice Béjart et le Ballet du 20e siècle," from the liner notes of the only pressing that I know of, French Philips
(France, Philips 6565 001,
1976) black labels1
(France, Philips 835.484 LY) Modern
Music Series; gatefold cover with glued in pages;
pink labels; apparently a 1962 stereo version of Orphée
with an added lyrical text that replaces the dramatic one
that appears in the live performance.1A collaboration between Henry and French composer and musician Gilbert Artman. The composition is realized by Henry and Urban Sax which is a large saxophone group led by Artman. There is only one release of this to my knowledge. The French Philips record jacket indicates that it was also released on cassette (7200 293).
(France, Philips
6313 293, 1982) black labels1Prismes "suite de concert d'après KYLDEX I, spectacle spatio-lumino-dynamique et cybernétique de Nicolas Schöffer, choregraphie de Alwin Nikolaïs et musique de Pierre Henry..." Opera de Hambourg, February 1973.
Maybe the first serious piece of musique concrete. It was a collaborative effort with Pierre Schaeffer. The piece premeired March 18, 1950 and is paired on vinyl with Concerto des Ambiguïtés by Henry.
(France, Philips
6510 012, 1972) black labels; the record mentioned on the
back of Machine Danse, pressing 1; Symphonie...
version created for a Maurice Béjart ballet on July 26,
1955 at Théâtre de l'Etoile, Paris; also contains Concerto
des Ambiguïtés from a Théâtre de l'Etoile
performance September 6, 1955 with Patrick Belda which
was choreographed by Maurice Béjart under the title Voyage
au coeur d'un enfant.1
(France, Philips
6510 012) black labels.13Variations pour une porte et un soupir is available in at least two vinyl packagings. It was released in the French Philips' prospective 21e siècle series, and it was issued in the USA on Limelight. The Limelight title is translated to Variations for a Door and a Sigh. Excerpt from the Limelight issue liner notes: "The Variations for a Door and a Sigh were originally created for a concert at Saint Julien-le-pauvre Church in Paris on June 27, 1963. A shorter version for the dance was worked out by Maurice Béjart and premiered at the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussles on February 21, 1965. A new version has been re-cast for records which can be called the definitive version of this work."
(France, Philips
836.898 DSY) prospective 21e siècle; metallic
back cover; green labels1
(US, Limelight LS 86059) unipak gatefold
cover1
(France, Philips 836 898) black labels20Voile d'Orphée is a different piece than Orphée which was composed earlier. Voile d'Orphée was performed in multiple versions. The first was recorded in 1953 and was considered too long (27 min.15 sec.). The second was (15 min. 40 sec.) and was used as the ending for the Maurice Béjart-Pierre Henry ballet Orpheus in 1958.
(France, Philips
836.887 DSY) prospective 21e siècle; white back
cover; green labels; contains the first and second
versions of Voile d'Orphée as well as Spirale
and Entité1
