Le miroir de Jésus

Description

Triptych on the Mysteries of the Rosary. A mystical work, The Mirror of Jesus written in 1923 on poems by Henri Ghéon, is a quite singular score due to its structure of fifteen fragments where the Christian meditates on the "mysteries" experienced by the Virgin Mary in light of the events of her Son's life, as in a "mirror" of herself. By its formation as well: mezzo-soprano, women's choir, harp, and string quintet. A rare, refined work, to be meditated upon as much as to be listened to. André Caplet (1878-1925) is often seen as an epigone of Claude Debussy. In reality, a Prix de Rome winner in 1901, a leading conductor, but a discreet composer, he was a significant figure of his time both in Paris and in Boston where he was the artistic director of the opera before going to War 14-18. Returning weakened, he devoted himself to composition, leaving a refined and singular body of work in more than one respect. The Mirror of Jesus written in 1923 on poems by Henri Ghéon bears witness to this. The score presents itself as a series of fifteen meditations on the life of Christ as the Virgin Mary may have experienced them as a "mirror" of herself. A mezzo-soprano, a women's choir, a harp, and a string quintet bring a very particular color to this score which is situated in a French tradition that goes from Gounod to Messiaen through Fauré, Debussy, Tournemire, Jehan Alain. Very rarely performed in concert since its creation on February 22, 1924, in Lyon, The Mirror of Jesus today appears as a fundamentally original and modern work in spirit as well as in form. That is why a recording of this demanding score always constitutes an event, a subject to discover a composer too little known and especially to immerse the listener in a meditation where the music