On February 3, 2019 the Rockbridge Chamber Singers will travel through Europe musically with composers from Germany, England, Ireland, Scotland, France, and Italy with some old favorites and some new encounters. Among these is a collection of three lyric-driven French songs known as “Trois Chansons” by Claude Debussy. Arguably, Debussy changed the sound world of classical music forever in much the way that his contemporary, Monet, changed the art world. Debussy was not a slave to the Wagner worship of his day. He put forth his own musical aesthetic in fluid orchestral works like “Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun”, and a few lovely choral works. His “Trois Chansons” have become icons in the classical choral music repertoire. These songs are set to poem texts by Charles D’Orleans, the 15th century French Duke of Orleans, who was captured at the battle of Agincourt in 1415 and imprisoned in England for the next 24 years. He was a prisoner of war to be sure, though as was true of many captives of royal descent, he lived quite well within his confines and wrote more than 500 poems while in England. Upon his release, he joked that he spoke English better than French.

Listen here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1qf7oH3GSVA