Romain Rolland, a French music historian often critical of Debussy, cited the "Songs of Bilitis" as the most perfect examples of French musical prosody he knew.
Composer's Artistic Vision
The five Verlaine-songs, dedicated to Madame Vasnier, mark Debussy's first musical encounter with the symbolist movement, which later influenced works like "Afternoon of a Faun" and "Pelléas and Mélisande."
Performer Biography
Soprano Emőke Baráth won 1st prize and the Audience Award at the Pietro Antonio Cesti Baroque Opera Singing Competition in 2011, among other accolades.
Composition History
Many of the songs on this album were inspired by Debussy's first adult passion, Marie Vasnier, the wife of a respected ministry officer, to whom he dedicated 29 songs.
Composer Biography
Debussy's early songs, including many on this album, were written when he was still a Conservatory student and relied on traditions of French romance and German Lied.
Performer Biography
Pianist Emese Virág is an associate professor at the Liszt Academy of Music and has received the Artisjus Prize nine times for her work with contemporary music.
Compositional Technique
Debussy's song "Fleur des blés" is noted for the first appearance of alternating duplets and triplets in the vocal line, which later became his compositional hallmark.
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