Les fleurs et les arbres - Camille Saint-Saëns

#vivalamusicachamberchoir #simonlumby #choralmusic #classicalmusic #choirsongs #choral #choralsinging Les fleurs et les arbres - Camille Saint-Saëns Sung by ‘Viva la Musica’, East Midlands Chamber Choir Recorded live in concert – June 2022 in Stoneygate Baptist Church, Leicester Conducted by Simon Lumby ******************************************************** Camille Saint-Saëns is perhaps best known for his Carnival of the Animals, ironically written as a private joke that he never intended for performance. Published in 1883, Les Fleurs et Les Arbres also reflects this ethic of “art for art’s sake”, a view which Saint-Saëns perhaps impressed upon his pupil, and life-long friend, Gabriel Fauré. This approach ran counter to the prevailing Romantic Movement, but Les Fleurs et Les Arbres certainly doesn’t lack Romantic sentiment. Saint-Saëns took great interest in developments in aesthetic thought, and this piece, set to a text written by Saint-Saëns himself and dedicated to his fellow composer, Charles Gounod, is concerned entirely with the aesthetics of nature. Text: Les fleurs et les arbres Les fleurs et les arbres, Les bronzes, les marbres, Les ors, les emaux, La mer, les fontaines, Les monts et les plaines Consolent nos maux. Nature éternelle Tu sembles plus belle Au sein des douleurs! Et l’art nous domine, Sa flamme illumine Le rire et les pleurs Translation: The flowers and the trees, the bronzes, the marbles, the golds, the enamels, the sea, the springs, the mountains and the plains bring solace for our ills. Everlasting nature, you seem more beautiful in the midst of sorrow! And art is our master, its fire throws light on laughter and tears.