Prodigal Sons: Debussy and Britten

The familiar Biblical parable of the Prodigal Son inspired both of the musical rebels Claude Debussy and Benjamin Britten, with each of them writing a piece depicting the key issues of his own life with delicately lyrical vocal parts and employing an instrumental chamber ensemble. In his youthful cantata L'enfant prodigue, Debussy – like his protagonist – follows his own path while squandering his (musical) inheritance. Danse sacrée et danse profane, on the other hand, evokes the dancing of King David, although the title obscures the fact that this is really Debussy’s harp concerto. Britten was already advanced in years when he took up Biblical themes, with which he symbolically addressed the painful questions of his existence. This is the intent behind both Cantata misericordium, which relates in song the parable of the Good Samaritan, and the elegy from The Prodigal Son.

PROGRAMME

Prokofjev:  The Prodigal Son
 - excerpts

-intermission-

Britten:  Cantata Misericordium
Debussy:  L’enfant prodigue (The Prodigcal Son)

Featuring
Klára Kolonits, István Horváth, Zsolt Haja  (vocals)
Conductor
Michel Tabachnik (CH)achnik (CH)