This is a disc for the Francophile who thinks that they have everything. Myrrha (1901), Alcyone (1902) and Alyssa (1903) are the three cantatas composed by Ravel in his doomed bid for the Paris Conservatoire's prestigious Prix de Rome for composers. Feeling that he was a financial burden on his family, Ravel entered the competition five times in all and was adjudged not talented enough even to proceed to the final round on both his first and the last attempts (1900 and 1905 respectively).

Pupil of Saint-Saëns, teacher of Ravel, titular organist of the Madeleine church and impactful director of the Paris Conservatoire, Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a foremost figure in the French musical history. His complete works - including the emblematic Pavane, Requiem, Sicilienne, Berceuse and Après un rêve… - are documented here by a host of well-reputed artists of the French repertoire, and reveal his clear, pure and absolute style.This 26-CD complete edition spans Fauré's entire career and includes among the finest recordings in Warner Classics' rich catalogue, showcasing Fauré's exquisite lyrical style, emotional depth, and timeless beauty.

For 30 years Michel Plasson has recorded French music exclusively for EMI Classics. This exclusive box is truly unique as it covers all the masterpieces of French repertoire: concertos by Ravel, Fauré's Requiem, Berlioz's Symphonie Fantastique, Bizet's only symphony, L'Arlesienne; Lalo's Symphony; etc . . .

Enjoy this grand collection that commeroates the glorious early events of the French Revolution with works conducted by Michel Plasson with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse. Complete with the French national anthem La Marseillaise orchestrated by Hector Berlioz and additional works by great composers such as Mehul and Gossec!

In 1909, Albert Roussel took a three-month long trip to Asia, thus marking a turning point in his musical language. He distanced himself from the likes of Franck and Debussy toincorporate new harmonies and ues of Indian modes. Évocations is a demonstration of Roussel's fascination for india, with this milestone recording by Micehl Plasson, José van Dam, Nicolai Gedda and Nathalie Stutzmann, and is coupled with the tone poem Résurrection after a novel by Tolstoy.

Henri Sauguet stampeded in the musical milieu when he was barely twenty, as co-founder with his mentor Erik Satie of the ephemeral École d’Arcueil. His orchestral music, inspired by the Six, is very French in tone: light, elegant, not demonstrative but straightforward. Sauguet earnt his biggest successes in ballet, his most revered score being the rarely recorded Les forains (The Carneys), choreographed by Roland Petit, empathic depiction of a modest troop of street artists. Featuring conductor Michel Plasson & coupled with the Tableaux de Paris, a set of lovely pictures of the most emblematic places of the capital.

Franz Liszt was without doubt one of the greatest (if not The Greatest) pianists of all time, as well as an innovating and visionary composer, in one word…a Genius!

Hector Berlioz, France’s greatest Romantic composer, exemplifies the spirit of his age – yet his genius was also ahead of its time. Reflecting his colourful life, his music is astonishing for its originality and ambition, and for orchestration of groundbreaking brilliance. This, the first-ever complete Berlioz edition, comprises carefully selected recordings and even includes works completely new to the catalogue. The accompanying booklet, lavishly illustrated, contains a fascinating commentary from Berlioz biographer David Cairns, whose words bring the composer’s music still more vividly to life.

In the first three symphonies, Honegger's seriousness is communicated through rhythmically propelled melodies, biting dissonances, and vigorous counterpoint, and his block-like orchestration is calculated more for impact than for nuance. Honegger alternates between muscular developments and searching meditations, and the combative Symphony No. 1 and the uneasy Symphony No. 2 effectively play off these contrasts. A reverent tone dominates the Symphony No. 3, for orchestra, "Liturgique," but its religious feeling is born of doubt and conflict, as conveyed in the work's brutal episodes. This disc restores to the catalog the fine recordings made by Michel Plasson and the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse from 1977 to 1979, digitally mastered in 1992.

After three decades of Carmen in opéra comique-style, each one offering its own brand of authenticity, here we are back in the 19th century with the old grand opera version, with the Guiraud recitatives, tacked on after Bizet’s death. This was the way Carmen was usually performed until the 1950s, when producers and scholars started to reconsider the original.

On-going discography of French recordings by maestro Michel Plasson, who will turn ninety on October 2nd (expect a digital surprise to celebrate his birthday). Here is his complete Debussy legacy with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, including the most popular pieces from the composer’s catalogue (La mer, Nocturnes, Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune…) and featuring François-René Duchâble at the piano in the Fantaisie.

Somewhat overlooked in the late 20th-century for being labelled as academic, the music of Vincent d’Indy has been revived by the untiring trailblazer of Romantic French music Michel Plasson. Far less renowned than his first symphony “On a French Mountain Air”, the second has been rarely recorded but has plenty of charm and will please the César Franck lovers, whose much of its inspiration draws from.

Second and last volume of our Albéric Magnard cycle (the first ever to be put on record) by French romantic trailblazer Michel Plasson. Very German in tone, his symphonies hide treasures of beauty despite their seeming austerity. The fascinating Hymn to Justice is a powerful work inspired by the Dreyfus affair that shook France at the end of the 19th-century.

Albéric Magnard, "mort pour la France" at the beginning of the World War I, was an important figure of French music in the early 20th century, notably for his massive symphonies inspired by the late German romanticism. After he had rapidly fallen into neglect, his orchestral music was revived thanks to the relentless trailblazer Michel Plasson, who was the first to record the complete cycle of four symphonies to which he added some tone poems like the Chant funèbre. Second batch to come soon!