César Franck described his Rédemption as a “Poème-symphonie”, a hybrid work in which choral parts and solo arias are interspersed with spoken recitative (often omitted in modern performances as they are in this recording) and including a purely orchestral section, the Morceau Symphonique.

The work, on a text by Édouard Blau, describes the state of the world before the coming of Christ, its transformation through the Christian message and subsequent decline when this is forgotten, with God’s message of forgiveness delivered by the Archangel at the conclusion.

The musical language is of an elevated level, by turns serene and ecstatic, sustained by the highly individual and chromatic Franckian harmonies.

This CD presents an excellent live recording from 1976 from the Dutch radio, featuring the Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Choir and Orchestra conducted by Jean Fournet, its principal conductor and one of the greatest champions of French romantic music.