Jeanne d'Arc au bûcher is one of the most inventive oratorios ever composed, constantly flitting between styles and colours. It follows the historic French heroine in the hours leading up to her execution. Indeed, the run-up to her death sentence is reconstructed as if in a crime novel. Paul Claudel's lively libretto contrasts Jeanne with an assorted lot of strange and wonderful characters. More than enough reason for Honegger to open up a colourful paintbox: the work features a succession of choral passages infused with spirituality, cubist-like blocks of sound and even bits of material reminiscent of the music hall. This is grist to conductor Stéphane Denève's mill, who is a leading authority on French music and a regular guest with the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra; together with two choirs and a variety of soloists and actors, he realized a compelling and moving Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher.

• 1. Prologue 7:36
• 2. Scene I. Les Voix Du Ciel
• 3. Scene Ii. Le Livre
• 4. Scene Iii. Les Voix De La Terre
• 5. Scene Iv. Jeanne Livree Aux Betes
• 6. Scene V. Jeanne Au Poteau
• 7. Scene Vi. Les Rois Ou L'invention Du Jeu De Cartes
• 8. Scene Vii. Catherine Et Marguerite
• 9. Scene Viii. Le Roi Qui Va-T-A-Rheims
• 10. Scene Ix. L'epee De Jeanne
• 11. Scene X. Trimazo
• 12. Scene Xi. Jeanne D'arc En Flammes