Chausson: Poème de l'amour et de la mer & Symphonie, Op. 20

Ernest Chausson’s music lies somewhere between that of Franck, Wagner and Debussy, with a touch of Fauré’s intimacy. The Poème de l’amour et de la mer is Chausson’s masterpiece, a heady, sumptuous work that frames the anguish of lost love within images of the sea, dead leaves blowing in the wind and the transient perfume of lilacs. Soprano Véronique Gens lends an aching beauty to these gorgeous orchestral songs, the orchestra responding with playing of intense passion. The symphony, richly scored, shows Chausson to be a master storyteller, with its gradual journey from darkness to light, its tragic second movement Wagnerian in scope and emotional depth.