French Orchestral Favourites

Featuring

John Wilson
Sinfonia of London
Paul Dukas
Claude Debussy
Emmanuel Chabrier
Maurice Ravel

Camille Saint-Saëns
Georges Bizet

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Paul Dukas, composer of L'Apprenti sorcier, had great respect for 'the normal conditions of the Symphony' and believed symphonic poems should have a clear form, not be a meandering parade of reactions to a poem.

Composition History

Georges Bizet, composer of Carmen, died unexpectedly during its 33rd performance, leading to many untruths about his death, including that he died of a broken heart due to critical failure.

Recording & Production

This album was recorded using 24-bit / 96 kHz technology, which provides a dynamic range up to 48 dB greater and 256 times the resolution of standard 16-bit recordings.

Composer Biography

Claude Debussy's early compositions, including 'Clair de lune', were written while he was still a student, and his teachers noted his original and ingenious solutions to composition exercises.

Performer Biography

Sinfonia of London, led by Artistic Director John Wilson, was relaunched in 2018 and has since been described as 'the most exciting thing currently happening on the British orchestral scene'.

Compositional Technique

In Danse macabre, Camille Saint-Saëns uses the unusual technique of scordatura, retuning the violin's E string down a semitone, to create the 'devil's interval' (a tritone) on open strings.

Historical Context

Emmanuel Chabrier, composer of Joyeuse Marche, was a friend of Impressionist painters Renoir and Édouard Manet (who painted two portraits of him) and amassed an enviable art collection.