Reynaldo Hahn met Marcel Proust in 1894 and maintained a close relationship with the author until Proust's death in 1922.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The French art-song, as heard on this album, is characterized by weightless, floating sounds, a dazzling play of colors in instrumentation, and the softly melodic character of the French language.
Compositional Technique
In his Études latines, Reynaldo Hahn aimed to emulate the tone and simple beauty of Gabriel Fauré's earlier setting of the poem 'Lydia'.
Historical Context
This album's selection of works by Debussy and Hahn transports listeners to the French Republic at the turn of the 19th to 20th century, before World War I.
Composition History
Debussy's cantata La damoiselle élue sets to music 'The Blessed Damozel' by English poet and Pre-Raphaelite painter Dante Gabriel Rossetti, using a French translation.
Critical Reception
La damoiselle élue was Debussy's first major success, with critic Pierre Lalo praising the grace and delicacy of his taste.
Composer Biography
Reynaldo Hahn, born in Caracas, Venezuela, studied at the Conservatoire de Paris with Albert Lavignac and Jules Massenet, alongside Maurice Ravel.
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