Belle époque

Belgian clarinettist Annelien Van Wauwe’s debut album features works for clarinet and orchestra with a focus on the Belle époque of early 20th-century France. As well as works from that period including Debussy’s Première Rapsodie and Widor’s Introduction et Rondo, the album includes Brahms’s Clarinet Sonata No. 1 in an orchestral arrangement by Luciano Berio, and a work by contemporary composer Manfred Trojahn. Van Wauwe is partnered by the Orchestre National de Lille and Alexandre Bloch.

Featuring

Annelien van Wauwe
Alexandre Bloch
Orchestre National de Lille
Claude Debussy
Manfred Trojahn
Gabriel Henri Constant Pierné

Johannes Brahms
Charles-Marie Widor

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Performer Biography

Annelien Van Wauwe, the clarinetist on this album, is a BBC New Generation Artist, a scheme that nurtures and promotes talented young musicians at the start of their international careers.

Instruments

Annelien Van Wauwe performs on a 'Vintage' clarinet by Buffet Crampon Paris for this recording.

Album & Artwork

The album features original French music by Claude Debussy, Charles-Marie Widor, and Gabriel Pierné, alongside works and arrangements by contemporary European composers Manfred Trojahn, Luciano Berio, and Jelle Tassyns.

Historical Context

The album's title, "Belle époque," refers to a "golden" period at the end of the 19th century in Europe, characterized by optimism, peace, and cultural development, which ended with World War I.

Recording & Production

All compositions on this "Belle époque" recording were written in the four countries where the performer, Annelien Van Wauwe, has lived and studied.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded in December 2018 at the Auditorium of Le Nouveau Siècle in Lille, utilizing the digital studio of the Orchestre National de Lille.