The Romantic motet on this album features an expanded chorus with divided vocal lines, harp, double bass, violin, and cello to enhance the organ and solo voices.
Historical Context
During the 19th century in France, the challenging of clerical power led to a secularization of society, despite the Church's reactions and the construction of impressive religious edifices.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded in June 2023 at the Auditorium de Radio France in Paris, with recording and mixing handled by Radio France.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Mel Bonis, a practicing Catholic, viewed music as a source of comfort and believed that 'Religious music must be serious, which does not exclude love, but rejects brilliance, grandiloquence or maudlin sentimentality.'
Album & Artwork
This album is part of a series of rediscoveries of French music, carried out in collaboration with the Alpha Classics label and the Palazzetto Bru Zane.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Camille Saint-Saëns, an atheist, preferred the rigor of sacred polyphony over the passionate excesses often found in music of his time, believing that 'in art, holiness is not enough; style is required.'
Performer Biography
The Chœur de Radio France, founded in 1947, is France's only permanent symphonic chorus and has performed under renowned conductors like Leonard Bernstein and Riccardo Muti.
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