Les Siècles/François-Xavier Roth

Les Siècles and their conductor François-Xavier Roth bring their extraordinary sonic textures and native sensibilities to evocative masterpieces of the French repertoire.

For this rare London appearance, the French orchestra and its founder François-Xavier Roth bring their special insight to music from their own country. Debussy’s revolutionary Prélude pulls us into the sensuous magical forest of the faun. Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé also carries us away into a vivid fantasy world of nymphs, shepherds and pirates. Written on her death bed, Lili Boulanger’s D’un soir triste is a powerful, unsettling work, and an important reminder of the tragic loss of an extraordinary talent aged only 24.

Using original instruments, Les Siècles’ performances are both meticulously historical and ‘powerfully fresh’ (The Times). Sounds come off the page in thrilling detail and we hear textures we never knew existed. Tonight will be no different: a chance to hear French music as you’ve never heard it before.