Symphonic Brilliance: From Ravel to Barber

Ravel’s orchestral version of Le tombeau de Couperin, premiered in 1920 and paid tribute to friends who died on the front lines. It features four vividly coloured dances in the Renaissance style filled with human warmth. In contrast, the young genius Lili Boulanger’s D’un soir triste dispenses with warmth to express awareness of her imminent death due to illness. During the interwar period, France welcomed young and promising composers such as Copland, who wrote his first Symphony for Organ and Orchestra guided by Nadia Boulanger, and Barber, who completed his First Symphony in the French Alps.  In this concert, the fullness of French influence, extending over the Atlantic, shines through.