Lili Boulanger: D’un matin de printemps

Despite the brevity of her life, Lili Boulanger (1893-1918) carved a place for herself in the history of music: with the cantata Faust et Helene (1913) she became the first woman to win the Prix De Rome. Her impressionistic use of the orchestra fits perfectly the mainstream musical language of the period, and yet we can already see glimpses of what could have come out of her pen had she not died so young.

D’un Matin De Printemps was written for violin and piano and subsequently for orchestra. Remarkably, the piece keeps its charm in both forms, enhancing different nuances depending on the version. A master in this field was Ravel. We can only imagine what she could have become.

And here’s the version for violin and piano

Incidentally, I was only able to find one commercial release, played by the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra conducted by Yan Pascal Tortelier.

Credits:

Cover image by Charlotte Coneybeer