Musical Work by Gabriel Fauré, poem by Victor Hugo, harmonisation for 3 mixed voices and piano by Philippe Douenne
Duration : 2'30''
Fresh poetry. Two young lovers, just married and alone in the world, let their joy, laughter and singing burst forth, contrasting with the atmosphere of the time when these ruins were an abbey. The birds bear witness to this.
Written at the age of 20 to a poem by Victor Hugo from the collection "Les chansons des rues et des bois”, this piece is dedicated to Madame Henriette Escalier (she would marry Alexandre Dumas fils 25 years later). It completes Opus 2, which also contains "Les matelots”. The three-voice, mixed arrangement circulates the vocals through each register, and, in the spirit of the melodies of the period, the interpretation is light-hearted.
An organist for many years, Philippe Douenne specializes in choral conducting. After learning a great deal from Éliane Lavail, particularly in terms of the quest for quality and pedagogy, he moved on to contemporary chanson with Jean-Claude Oudot and orchestral conducting with Jenö Rehak. He has taken part in several master classes, mainly with Jacques Barbier, Jean-Pierre Morvan, Daïnouri Choque and William Christie.
His constant research into the repertoire, including manuscripts in the Bibliothèque Nationale, has led him to tackle some of the lesser-known works, and to create several new works. He recently completed two complete reconstructions of works by Gounod, including one based on a manuscript from the composer's family, presented at the "Gounod - Arcachon 2018” Festival.
His involvement in community work was recognized by the award of the Médaille d'Argent de la Jeunesse et des Sports. He was made a Chevalier de l'Ordre National du Mérite.
