Their program puts three French greats in the spotlight, beginning with Debussy's La Cathédrale engloutie, inspired by a Breton legend of a sunken cathedral rising from the depths. By the time the edifice has sunk back into the water, the strains of its mighty organ can still be heard distantly in a haunting final pianissimo. Back on the surface we are treated to a work by Jean Cras, a composer, naval officer, and inventor who created several valuable inventions for seafarers and a considerable musical oeuvre including Journal de bord (Ship's Log), a symphonic suite inspired by his experiences at sea. Next up is Paul Dukas's enchanting The Sorcerer's Apprentice, well known to many audiences from the famous sequence in Disney's Fantasia, before the program concludes with another Debussy favorite: La Mer, an Impressionist masterpiece in three evocative movements.

Photo © Rémi Rière