Jean Yves Daniel-Lesur

Polyphonies 'Jeune France'

Dating from 1953, Le Cantique des Cantiques is among Daniel- Lesur's finest pieces - and is perhaps the only one of his major compositions to be performed outside France with any frequency.Written for 12-part unaccompanied voices, it was one of the remarkable group of works commissioned by the brilliant choral conductor Marcel Couraud. In the late 1940s and ‘50s, Couraud commissions included two other classics of the 20th-century choral repertoire: Messiaen's Cinq Rechants inspired by the Tristan legend of love-death, and Jolivet's Epithalame, written as a celebration of his own 20th wedding anniversary. Daniel-Lesur's piece shares with these the common theme of love-songs, something which Couraud stipulated in his commissions from these three veterans of 'La Jeune France', founded in 1936 in a spirit of musical cohesion, quality and friendship by four French composers: Olivier Messiaen,André Jolivet , Daniel-Lesur and Yves Baudrier. 2008 is the centenary of the births of Olivier Messiaen and Daniel-Lesur.Vocal ensemble Sequenza 9.3, who were awarded a Diapason d'or in 2006, commemorate the composers through this recording.

La Jeune France

Song of Songs

The Song of Songs stands apart from its biblical surroundings as one of the supreme love poems of world literature, a celebration of erotic love in the form of a dialogue between a bridegroom and his bride, invoking all the senses, the fragrance of wine, blossom, fruits and spices. Ranging widely over five centuries, from the relative asperity of Dunstaple to the lush exoticism of Daniel-Lesur, this cherry-picked assortment of sweetmeats is given exultant life by Mike Brewer and Laudibus.

In Flanders Fields Volume 12 - Music for harp, flute & string trio

Prestilagoyana - Guitar Duos