Boulanger & Bertrand Chamayou plays Saint-Saëns

Nadia Boulanger's younger sister Lili had a fragile health and passed away at the age of just 24. Nevertheless, she managed to establish a solid reputation as a composer. In 1913, she became the very first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome. D’un Matin de Printemps is a playful and refreshing piece composed in 1917.

Camille Saint-Saëns wrote his Second Piano Concerto in barely three weeks at the request of Anton Rubinstein, who wanted to conduct a concert in Paris. However, the premiere, during which Saint-Saëns himself played the piano part, turned out to be a monumental fiasco because the French composer, engrossed in writing the concerto, did not have enough time to study it. In retrospect, this concerto is considered the most successful of the five concertos composed by Saint-Saëns. It is now performed by the dazzling French pianist Bertrand Chamayou, who recorded it on CD in 2018 with the Orchestre National de France.

Swiss composer Richard Dubugnon – a rising star in the world of contemporary classical music – is sometimes nicknamed 'the son of Ravel and Prokofiev'. His lyrical style and highly colorful orchestrations sublimely blend French and Russian influences. Les Arcanes Symphoniques is a cycle of short pieces inspired by the esoteric symbols of tarot cards.

The Belgian National Orchestra will also shine in the colourful orchestral music of Richard Strauss' Der Rosenkavalier. The action of this opera is set in Vienna around 1740. Although the famous 'Wiener Walz' only saw the light of day at the beginning of the 19th century, Richard Strauss used a lot of waltz music in the second and third acts of Der Rosenkavalier. Critics were highly dissatisfied with this anachronism, but the audience was so captivated by Strauss' melodies that he soon gathered these orchestral highlights into an enchanting suite.

Created with the support of the Belgian Tax Shelter through Casa Kafka Pictures.