The Alhambra Palace was built in the early Middle Ages, in the city of Granada, following the Arab conquest of Spain. With its impressive mosaics and sun-drenched gardens, it inspired the creation of many wonderful compositions throughout the centuries. While several works of Francisco Tárrega, Isaac Albéniz and Joaquín Turina have a direct connection to the Alhambra Palace, the Arabian influence is evident in most pieces on this Album.
If the cherished corpus of Pièces de Violes by François Couperin Le Grand, the celebrated organist of the Chapelle Royale de Versailles, constitutes a major contribution to the viol repertoire in France at the beginning of the 18th century, this unique volume published in Paris in 1728 is also shrouded in mystery for any musician who might wish to immerse himself in these sumptuous pieces. Might they have been composed for an exceptional performer, Marin Marais or Antoine Forqueray, Couperin's colleagues at the Court of Louis XIV? Arranged in two suites of splendid pieces, blending Italian and French styles, they represent all the spirit and finesse of the music of the King's Chamber at its apogee.
Le Jugement de Midas (The Judgement of Midas) is a French comédie mêlée d'ariettes (a kind of opéra comique), in three acts by André Grétry dedicated to . It was first performed, with amateur singers, on 28 March 1778 in the private little theatre set up by Madame de Montesson in the apartments of her secret husband Louis Philippe, Duke of Orléans at the Palais-Royal in Paris. Libretto is by the Irish playwright Thomas Hales (also known by the French name Thomas d'Hèle) with additional contributions by Louis Anseaume. It was based on the burlesque opera Midas (1760) by Kane O'Hara. The public premiere at the Comédie-Italienne took place on 27 June 1778.
Entre le nom de la rose et le parfum, un thriller historique fascinant. Inspiré de faits réels. …
Une présentation des étapes clés du conflit avec de nombreux repères chronologiques et anecdotes reflétant le quotidien des poilus, des civils réquisitionnés dans les usines et de tous les participants à l'effort de guerre. …