Quatre Chansons Françaises

Vocal score of Quatre Chansons Françaises for soprano and orchestra with settings of Hugo and Verlaine. These astounding songs were written when the composer was only 14 and constitute his first major orchestral work since beginning composition lessons with Frank Bridge in 1927. The orchestration belies more than a passing debt to Ravel, but Britten’s genius for word setting and form are never in doubt.