A Century of French Music

The 25-CD boxset A Century of French Music celebrates not only some of the greatest French composers, but some of the most important names and indeed works in the entire classical canon.

From Hector Berlioz to Pierre Boulez, each composer’s most famous and influential works are collected together in individually designed slipcases (1-4 CDs) with a short biography of the composer in French & English (1 page each). Featured composers include Debussy, Fauré, Satie, Ravel, Saint-Saëns, and many more.

Performing these seminal works are some of the finest artists and ensembles, including Eugène Ormandy, Pierre Boulez, Seiji Ozawa, Hans Graf, Charles Munch, Jacques Mercier, James Judd, Eric Le Sage, Quatuor Juilliard, Philippe Entremont, Natalie Dessay, Paul Meyer, Michel Dalberto, Nathalie Stutzmann, Catherine Collard, Jean-Marc Luisada, Laurent Korcia, Frank Braley, Robert Casadessus, Ensemble Incanto, JG Queyras.

Contents:

CDs 1-2: Berlioz
Symphonie fantastique, Roméo et Juliette / Munch

CDs3-4: Saint-Saëns
Piano Concertos 2, 4 & 5 'Egyptian' - Entremont / Plasson
Symphony no.3 'Organ' / Munch
Marche militaire française, Danse macabre / Ormandy
Le Carnaval des animaux / Fiedler

CDs 5-7: Debussy
La Mer, Nocturnes, Printemps, Rhapsodie, Images, Danses, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, Jeux / Boulez
Images, Préludes / Dalberto

CDs 8-10: Fauré
Nocturnes / Luisada
Violin Sonata / Korcia, Luisada
Requiem / Ozawa
Cantique de Jean Racine, Ave verum, Salve Regina, Ave Maria, Messe basse / The Choir of Trinity College
Mélodies / Stutzmann, C Collard

CDs 11-12: Satie
Gymnopédies, Gnossiennes and other pieces for piano
Varsano, Entremont, Masselos, Gold & Fizdale, G & R Casadesus, Poulenc

CDs 13-15: Ravel
Sheherazade, Rapsodie Espagnole, Valses nobles et sentimentales, Ma Mère L'Oye, Fanfare pour 'L'Eventail de Jeanne', Alborada del gracioso, Le Tombeau de Couperin, Piano Concerto for the left hand, Pavane pour une infante défunte, Une Barque sur l'océan, Boléro / Entremont, Boulez
Piano Concerto in G major / Entremont, Ormandy
String Quartet in F major / Juilliard
Gaspard de la nuit / Entremont

CDs 16-17: Poulenc
Sonata for flute & piano / Dufour, Le Sage
Sonata for violin & piano / Blacher, Le Sage
Sonata for oboe & piano / Leleux, Le Sage
Sonata for cello & piano / Salque, Le Sage
Sonata for clarinet & piano / Meyer, Le Sage
Concerto for two pianos & orchestra / Braley § Le Sage, Denève
Concerto for piano & orchestra / Le Sage, Denève
Concerto for organ & timpani / Litwin, Zighera, Munch

CDs 18-19: Messiaen
Turangalila Symphony / Y. & J. Loriod, Ozawa
Quatuor pour la fin du temps / Ensemble Incanto

CD20: Dutilleux
Symphony no.1, Tout un monde lointain / Queyras, Graf
Timbres, Espace, Mouvement, ou 'La Nuit étoilée' / Graf

CD21: Boulez
Le Marteau sans maître, Livre pour cordes / Boulez

CDs 22-25: Escales Symphoniques Françaises
Milhaud - La Création du Monde, Suite provençale / Munch
D'Indy - Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français / Munch
Ibert - Escales / Munch
Honegger - Symphonies 2 & 5 "Di tre re" / Munch
Roussel - Bacchus et Ariane (Suite no.2) / Munch
Koechlin - The Seven Stars' Symphony / Judd
Charbrier - Espana / Bernstein
Dukas - La Péri / Boulez, The Sorcerer’s Apprentice / Munch
Schmitt - Salammbô / Mercier
Saint-Saëns - La Nuit / Dessay, Mercier, Le Rouet d’Omphale / Munch