D’un Matin de printemps (“Of a Spring Morning”) was composed during the last months of the composer’s short life. Boulanger had already made a name for herself as the first woman ever to win the Prix de Rome. Stricken with a terminal illness at age 24, her final works convey the intimate and mature compositional voice that explore color and harmony. One of Poulenc’s friends said of him: “There is in him something of the monk and the street urchin.” The Gloria brilliantly expresses these characteristics, with its charismatic fusion of solemnity and mischievous exuberance. Poulenc described the process thus: “While writing it I had in mind those Crozzoli frescoes with angels sticking out their tongues, and also some solemn-looking Benedictine monks that I saw playing football one day.” César Franck Symphony in D minor is perhaps the greatest symphony written by a French person in the latter half of the 19th century. It is best known for its cyclical nature, bringing back melodies from previous movements throughout the piece. Of particular note is a stunning english horn solo buried within.
