Elfes 34

Between 1803 and 1968, the Grand Prix de Rome marked the zenith of composition studies at the Paris Conservatoire. In Maurice Ravel’s time the competition included an elimination round (a fugue and a choral piece) followed by a cantata in the form of an operatic scena. The entries were judged by a jury which generally favoured expertise and conformity more than originality and Ravel’s growing reputation as a member of the avant-garde was therefore hardly to his advantage, and may explain why he never won the coveted Premier Grand Prix, and the three-year stay at Rome’s Villa Medici that went with it.

Self-taught French artist-composer of Italian origin, Michel Pepe, born in 1962 in Paris, France and is considered in many countries as one of the most talented music composers Relaxation and Wellness. He began studying piano at age 7 years and after a few years, he learned guitar and writing music.

The concept album Thorgal is filled to the brim with intelligent compositions, well-crafted arrangements, beautiful and heart-rending melodies and a couple of definitely Deep Forest-sounding tunes. And unlike many "new-age" albums, the music of Thorgal never fails to find the delicate balance between soothing ambiences, irresistible melodies and powerful rhythms…

Aidan Fox est un auteur et dessinateur de fantasy. Sa plume fluide s'inspire de celle de Pierre Bottero et mêle des influences aussi diverses que Tolkien, Moorcock ou même Alain Damasio. Passionné de mondes imaginaires, il a construit un vaste univers, dans lequel il a déjà placé trois séries : les Murmures du Shar, une aventure de fantasy épique dans un monde souterrain sur le thème de la magie noire…

A worthy premiere of one of Russia's most neglected composers Vladimir Rebikov, often called 'the inventor of the whole-tone scale', is now almost completely forgotten, save his Silhouettes (a set of interesting children's pieces), and his Valse op.21, a popular encore piece. Due to most of his pieces being miniatures, with definite musical phrases and simple forms (far from Satie), not many people paid attention to him. To the disengaged, Rebikov seems like one of the many salon composers, with nothing of note. This album does very well to dispel this notion.

Achille-Claude Debussy (22 August 1862 – 25 March 1918) was a French composer. He and Maurice Ravel were the most prominent figures associated with Impressionist music, although Debussy disliked the term when applied to his compositions. He was made Chevalier of the Legion of Honour in 1903. He was among the most influential composers of the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and his use of non-traditional scales and chromaticism influenced many composers who followed. Debussy's music is noted for its sensory content and frequent use of nontraditional tonalities. The prominent French literary style of his period was known as Symbolism, and this movement directly inspired Debussy both as a composer and as an active cultural participant.