Poèmes symphoniques

Description

The Franco-Irish composer Augusta Holmès (1847-1903) is one of those composers who managed to overcome all obstacles with a natural momentum. "Like children, women have no notion of obstacles, and their will breaks down all walls," said her colleague Camille Saint-Saëns. He pinpointed the issue, as the three-movement symphonic poem Roland Furieux disarmingly demonstrates. Just like the intense emotions of the knight, who momentarily loses his mind in a love frenzy, Holmès's orchestral impulses, which she masters with impressive self-confidence in all its nuances, are also powerful. This art is present, whether it involves writing works with a national flavor or bringing mythical figures to life in songs, as in the enchanting Andromède, who is saved from the "battle of the titans" by the heroic Perseus.