Camille Saint-Saëns

Calme Des Nuits

This title is taken from the compilation French Songs And Choruses For Mixed-Voice Choir (NOV165198) Calme Des Nuits is taken from Ravel's work 2 Choruses, Op. 68. In the oeuvre of Camille Saint-Saëns, who is known primarily for his Carnival of the animals, there are two choral pieces, op. 68, composed at the end of 1882 which exhibit genuinely exceptional quality. Presumably having written them himself, Saint-Saëns devoted considerable time and attention to these two texts, Calme des nuits (Calm of the night) and Les fleurs et les arbres (The flowers and the trees). Both pieces display a depth of expression of a kind that he is frequently denied as possessing to the present day.
In Calme des nuits, the calm of the night is impressively captured in music and contrasted with the garish and the raucous. Numerous long note durations and the almost exclusive adherence to the piano sphere captivate both the performers and their audience alike until the piece fades away into virtual nothingness.