ANTHONY GIRARD (b.1959): Eloge de la folie for Clarinet and Piano, Les Noces d'Orphée for Clarinet, Cello and Piano, L'Effroi de la nuit froide for Solo Clarinet, Le Cercle de la vie - 24 Preludes for Piano.

Description: Girard's style is attractive and very accessible, reminiscent of the early 20th century preoccupation with Orientalism, color and atmosphere. Eloge evokes the whirling dervishes of Sufic mysticism, and similar ostinato-driven dancing rhythms pervade the fanciful, dreamlike Orpheus piece, with an emphasis on modal melodic lines. The Circle of Life is a cycle of 24 preludes, with shades of Shostakovich's and (probably coincidentally, but strikingly), Alan Bush's essays in the form, also with modal inflections and an exotic atmosphere. Geneviève Girard (piano), Jean-Marc Fessard (clarinet), Fabrice Bihan (cello).