Debussy L'enfant prodigue
Honegger Symphonie liturguique

André Cluytens & Radio Turin Orchestra with soloists and chorus

Arts Archive 43059-2

Debussy's successful exercise for the conservative Prix de Rome jury (he did better than Berlioz) warrants exhumation in André Cluytens' radio broadcast for the inclusion of a trio of legendary singers of the time, well remembered from my youthful listening.

There is no translation from the French of Eduard Guinand's Scene lyrique - thinner non-glossy paper would have made space for tri-lingual texts in the jewel-case (anyway, aren't those nearly obsolete?) as for the introductory notes. Important if Arts Archive wasnts to be a major player on the international market.

Honegger's war symphony does not warrant like neglect. I found it scarifying and unforgettable when new; it comes up fresh and harsh as should be in this broadcast recording from Turin.

I have recently reviewed a CD with early Britten and Honegger's last work, in which his enduring optimism still takes you 'from dark despair to hope and finally joyful affirmation'.

How about, for our present times, a couplingof Britten's Sinfonia da Requiem (1940) and Honegger's Symphonie Liturgique (1946)?