Georges Bizet, despite his short life, left behind an abundant body of work, including the opera Carmen, which initially faced criticism for its 'Spanish licentiousness'.
Composition History
Chabrier's Suite pastorale is his own orchestral transcription of four pieces from his Dix pièces pittoresques for piano, which he composed in 1881.
Recording & Production
This recording features a variety of period instruments, including a Louis Lot wooden flute from around 1870, a Triebert oboe from 1855, and Buffet Crampon clarinets from 1880.
Performer Biography
Les Siècles is a unique ensemble founded in 2003 by conductor François-Xavier Roth, bringing together musicians who can play both period and modern instruments.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Emmanuel Chabrier was known for his 'prodigious, anti-classical inventiveness' and refused to be categorized, joking that 'The Wagnerite calls me a reactionary, and the bourgeois accuses me of being a Wagnerite.'
Composition History
Bizet's Symphony in C, written when he was just 17, was rediscovered in 1932 among manuscripts donated to the Paris Conservatoire and premiered in 1935.
Compositional Technique
Bizet's Symphony in C shows influences from Rossini, Mozart, Mendelssohn, Haydn, and Beethoven, and uses the same orchestral forces as Charles Gounod's First Symphony in D major.
You might also enjoy...
Bizet: Symphony in C / L'Arlesienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2
Bizet: L'Arlésienne
Bizet: Symphony in C Major, WD 33 & L'Arlésienne Suites Nos 1 & 2
