At just 19 years old in 1929, Elsa Barraine won the Grand Prix de Rome composition prize, becoming only the fourth woman to receive this accolade.
Composer Biography
During the Occupation, Elsa Barraine stopped composing and joined the French Resistance, forming the Front national des musiciens with conductor Roger Désormière and composer Louis Durey.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in September 2024 at the Auditorium de Radio France in Paris.
Historical Context
Elsa Barraine subtitled her Second Symphony 'Voïna' ('war' in Russian) in 1938, as Europe was on the brink of World War II and France signed the Munich Agreement.
Composer Biography
Elsa Barraine, born to a pianist mother and a cellist father at the Paris Opera, entered the Paris Conservatoire at a very young age, bypassing conventional schooling.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The title 'Le Fleuve rouge' (The Red River) likely reflects the symbolism of the color red, associated with the communists leading the struggle for independence in Indochina.
Composition History
Elsa Barraine's 'Le Fleuve rouge' (The Red River) was inspired by the beginnings of the independence struggle in Indochina, specifically the revolution led by the Việt Minh in Hanoi in August 1945.
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