Orchestra: Sinfonia of London
Conductor: John Wilson
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Chandos
Release: 2020
Size: 1.28 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Alexis Emmanuel Chabrier:
01. España
Maurice Duruflé:
Trois Danses, Op. 6
02. No. 1, Divertissement
03. No. 2, Danse lente
04. No. 3, Tambourin
Charles Camille Saint-Saëns:
05. Le Rouet d’Omphale, Op. 31
Claude Achille Debussy:
06. Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune
Jacques Ibert:
Escales 4:21
07. No. 1, Palermo
08. No. 2, Nefta
09. No. 3, Valencia
Jules Emile Frederic Massenet:
10. Meditation (from Thaïs)
Maurice Ravel:
Rapsodie Espagnole
11. I. Prélude à la nuit
12. II. Malagueña
13. III. Habanera
14. IV. Feria
John Wilson and Sinfonia of London release their second album, following widespread and universal critical acclaim for their first recording, of Korngold’s Symphony in F sharp. This new recording explores the unique sound world of French orchestral music of the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. The programme juxtaposes well-known favourites, such as Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune, Massenet’s ‘Méditation’ from Thaïs, with pieces far more rarely heard, for example Duruflé’s Trois Danses and Saint-Saëns’s Le Rouet d’Omphale. Many of these works evoke the ‘exoticism’ of Spain or North Africa (as was the fashion in French music of this era), and all share the intricate, detailed orchestration that defines the ‘Impressionist’ style. John Wilson and Sinfonia of London capture the mood and spirit of these pieces with consummate skill and outstanding musicianship. Originally formed in 1955, Sinfonia of London was re-established in 2018 by the British conductor John Wilson to devote itself, at least initially, to recording projects, of which this is the second album.