Roussel, A.: Aeneas / Psalm 80 / Fanfare Pour Un Sacre Paien / Le Bardit Des Francs

Featuring

Bramwell Tovey
Benjamin Butterfield
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg
EuropaChorAkademie
Albert Roussel

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Recording & Production

The Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, the performing orchestra, received a 'Cannes Classical Recording of the Year' award in 2002 for its recording of Cydalise et le Chèvre-pied by Pierné.

Composer Biography

Albert Roussel, the composer, served as a young midshipman on the ship Iphigénie in 1890, where he recorded his preference for the poetic nature of Greek mythology over the austere rewards of Christianity.

Composition History

Albert Roussel's Fanfare pour un sacre païen (Fanfare for a pagan coronation) was composed in October 1921 at the request of British critic Leigh Henry, marking the beginning of Roussel's 'Greco-Latin' works.

Compositional Technique

In Psalm 80, Albert Roussel uses bitonality in a highly personal manner and masterfully handles the fugue, creating a rich orchestral palette with rarely doubled voices.

Notable Performances

The premiere of Albert Roussel's Psalm 80 took place at the Paris Opera on April 25, 1929, as part of celebrations for the composer's sixtieth birthday.

Composer's Artistic Vision

After World War I, Albert Roussel shifted his compositional style from descriptive music to pure, abstract music, embracing polytonality and polymodality.

Performer Biography

Bramwell Tovey, the conductor, became chief conductor and musical director of the Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg in September 2002 after twice stepping in at the last minute for indisposed conductors.