French music of the 20th century is resplendent with colors. The rich mixture of sounds of piano and horn wonderfully bring out this quality in the repertory that we wished to not only showcase but to enrich – we especially desired to place our particular sonority in the service of the music of Claude Debussy, one of the major composers of that time. For this, we decided to make a transcription of Debussy’s Ariettes Oubliées that entrusts the original sung verses of Paul Verlaine to the poetic and melodic voice of the horn. The poet Verlaine also gave us the evocative title of our CD: Aquarelles. Particularly beloved by wind players, the works of Jean Françaix sparkle with rhythm and humor. Eugène Bozza, who composed prolifically especially for the horn, took full advantage of the pastoral nature of the instrument to paint bucolic and impetuous landscapes that delighted the two nature lovers that we are. As for Jane Vignery, a Belgian composer influenced by the impressionists, she left us a sonata that is heroic and adventurous yet playful – a true masterpiece!
