Gounod: Funeral March of a Marionette (March funèbre d'une marionette, Marionettenmarsch)

Issued in the US under the title 'Witches' Brew', Alexander Gibson and the New Symphony Orchestra of London recorded this album in 1959 and the performances remain today as characterful and incisive as they were then. While pieces from this recording have previously appeared on Decca, this is its first complete release on the label. Given that the music is a kind of Halloween concoction, it is now filled out on this reissue for CD with two supernatural pieces by Gounod - his Funeral March of a Marionette and the sparkling Ballet Music for Faust, both recorded in 1964 and which have come up sizzlingly well on CD.

This new Hybrid SACD recording features four members of the internationally renowned Afflatus (Wind) Quintet performing music by several French composers including Ibert, Bozza, Debussy, Gounod, Tomas, and Françaix. Afflatus Quartet derives from Afflatus (Wind) Quintet, the winner of one of the most prestigious chamber music competitions in the world, the International Music Competition of the ARD Munich 1997. With Radek Baborak, the world famous horn player and Afflatus member taking a "vacation" from the ensemble, the four remaining members, each of which is an active soloist throughout Europe and especially in Czech Republic, have produced an album of music by 20th century French composers. The disc includes Ibert’s ‘The Little White Donkey’, Deux Mouvements, and Cinq Pièces en Trio; Bozza’s Sonatine, and Trois Pièces pour une Musique de Nuit; Debussy’s ‘Golliwog’s Cakewalk’, and ‘The Little Shepherd’; Gounod’s ‘Funeral March of a Marionette, Tomasi’s Concert Champêtre; and Françaix’s Quartet for Wind Instruments.

Founded in 1987, this quartet soon established an international reputation, winning 1st Prize in 1991 at the International Guitar Quartet Competition held in Völkingen, Germany. Their range of repertoire is wide and includes works from the Renaissance up to the present day. They have commissioned new works from composers such as Félix Ibarrondo and Franz Constant; whilst their

transcriptions have been praised by several influential composers, including Rodrigo and Farkas. Much of the quartet’s success has been due to the way in which they interact with the public at their concerts, which have included numerous tours abroad, including England. This recording is dedicated to the Spanish film maker Carlos Saura.

recorded in Saint Thomas Catholic Church, Hattiesburg, Mississippi, USA, 25 January and 8, 12 February 2007