France has won the world cup, for only the second time in the tournament’s history. Thankfully, France’s classical composers have had many more successes on the world stage.
French composers are particularly known for their love of the piano and many of the country’s 19th century composers were, themselves, piano virtuosos. The impressionist period in both music and painting birthed a period of creativity as artists explored new tonalities and techniques. Debussy, Chopin, Fauré, and Franck all feature in this week’s playlist of romantic and impressionistic piano and orchestral music.
The impressionistic period opened up a new tonality that still invites and calls us to be wrapped in the ebb and flow of sound.