French music
A number of threads running through the season hold connections to the remarkable year of 1918.
Published: 19 April 2018
The Proms marks 100 years since the death of the composer whom some consider to be the Godfather of modern music. Exploring Debussy’s role in shaping the 20th-century canon, the Proms features a range of repertoire by his contemporary Ravel, as well as his own work alongside other French composers. Six Proms feature works by Debussy himself:
- Pelléas et Mélisande
17 July - La damoiselle élue
26 July - La mer
4 August - Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune; Nocturnes
15 August - Jeux
16 August - Sonata For Flute, Viola And Harp
3 September
Ravel
- Daphnis And Chloe
14 July - Tzigane
15 July - Piano Concerto For The Left Hand
4 August - Boléro
15 August - Mother Goose; Shéhérazade; L’enfant et les sortilèges
18 August - La valse
31 August - Introduction And Allegro
3 September
Other French works include
- Fauré - Pavane
14 July - Saint-Saëns - The Carnival Of The Animals - excerpts
15 July - Messiaen - Turangalîla Symphony
18 July - French Organ Works
22 July - Saint-Saëns - Violin Concerto No. 3
12 August - Berlioz - Harold In Italy; Vocal Works
5 September - Milhaud - Scaramouche
8 September
Lili Boulanger
The Proms commemorates the tragically short life of Lili Boulanger, the first woman composer to win the Prix de Rome, but too often overshadowed by her older sister Nadia, by exploring her music.
- D’un matin de printemps; D’un soir triste
20 July - Pour les funérailles d’un soldat
12 August - Psalm 130, Du fond de l’abîme
15 August - Nocturne For Violin And Piano; Trois morceaux for piano
3 September
