“Down with impressionism and all those beautiful sonorities” Georges Auric (1899-1983), born on 15 February 1899 in Lodève, France, was famously included in the group called Les Six by critic Henri Collet in 1920. As a composer, he is probably

“I simply follow my own feelings” Among the most original and sincere voices of the 20th century, Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) was no revolutionary as his music and personality simply mirror the often-conflicting nature of humanity. Simultaneously earthy and refined, an

“Be yourself, because everyone else is taken” “The glory of Édouard Lalo (1823-1892),” wrote a scholar in 1925, “was that he cast a shaft of sunlight into French music, expressing joy, life, and chaste tenderness free of sentimentality, and burning

“I dared much, but the next time, I will dare even more” Born in the city of Liège on 10 December 1822, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, César Franck (1822-1890) composed in a rich and luxurious

‘Life Is a Constant Inspiration’ Anne Gastinel and Claire Désert Play Chopin French cellist Anne Gastinel is one of the foremost cellists of her generation. Hailing from southeastern France, she entered Lyon’s conservatoire to study when she was just 11

“My music exists to give pleasure” The son of the former director of the Conservatory of Le Mans, Jean Françaix (1912-1997) was a prodigious musical talent. He received his early musical instructions from his father and composed his first piano

Christian-Pierre La Marca Plays Rameau’s Les Sauvages from Les Indes Galantes Described by Gramophone as ‘a master of his instrument and a musician of lyrical elegance and good taste’, French cellist Christian-Pierre La Marca talks to me from Paris where

Improving and Serving the Music Young French cellist Bruno Philippe has already performed with some of Europe’s most prestigious orchestras, including the Frankfurt Radio Symphony, Bavarian Radio Symphony, and the Chamber Orchestra of Paris. The 29-year-old is a prize-winner of