Romances FC071

In 1894, Claude Debussy composed the six-minute Prélude à l’aprês-midi d’un faune, turning the musical world upside down. A mere 27 years later, Georges Auric wrote in the magazine Le Coq: “Because I grew up during the twilight of the Wagnerian gods and began composing amid the ruins of Debussyism, I feel that any imitation of Debussy in our day is nothing but scavenging.” This was a call for a new direction in music by a member of the just-formed Groupe des Six. This new direction is a point of departure for this CD, a sequel to “Reveries” (FutureClassics 062), represented here by three members of the Groupe des Six: Auric, Honegger and Milhaud. Not only is this CD an excellent representation of the musical revolution going on in France between 1911 and 1953, it also shows the maturing of the flute into a full-fledged solo instrument, a trend started by none other than Debussy.

Lili Boulanger, the sister of the renowned music educator Nadia Boulanger, is represented with three short compositions. Her music and the works of her colleagues, Elsa Barraine, Alain, Sancan, Sauguet and Koechlin reflect the unknown exuberance and richness of music for flute and piano from the first half of the 20th century.