Savannah Music Festival LIVE 809 – Vive la France – Part One



Although Paris remained one of the paramount musical centers of Europe, French music during the 19th century was eclipsed by German and Austrian music, and by Italian opera. However, by the mid to late 19th century, the foundations for a renaissance of French music started taking place with such composers as Franck, Saint-Saëns, Massenet and Faure, among others. By the end of the 19th century, two composers emerged who were to cement the renaissance of French music initiated by Franck. Indeed, Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel helped establish a vital and colourful aesthetic alternative to the Germanic tradition. In this episode, we listen to selections from our 2015 chamber music series composed by Ravel and Milhaud, including the Emerson String Quartet’s beautiful performance of Ravel’s String Quartet in F Major.