The tone poems of Richard Strauss’s early career represent a remarkable extension of the ideas of Liszt and Wagner, and the autobiographical Ein Heldenleben exceeds its predecessors in terms of its demands on the orchestra. Its intricately interwoven sections create a single symphonic movement depicting heroism, love and, ultimately, peace.

Albéric Magnard became a French national hero when he died defending his home at the outbreak of World War I. The Chant funèbre was written in memory of his father.

This recording celebrates both the 40th anniversary of the Orchestre National de Lille and the 50th year of its founder Jean-Claude Casadesus’s career.

Founded In 1976 by Jean-Claude Casadesus, the Orchestre National de Lille has become an integral part of cultural activities at the heart of the Région Nord-Pas-de Calais. Additionally, the orchestra has played in over thirty countries on four continents, and returned to China for the third time in 2014. Jean-Claude Casadesus’ more than thirty recordings have been hailed by both critics and the public, as have his two books, 'Le plus court chemin d’un coeur à un autre' (Stock, 1997) and 'La partition d’une vie' (Editions Écriture, 2012). He is President of the Musique Nouvelle en Liberté association and is also director of the Lille Piano Festival.