César Franck

Les Djinns, M. 45

LES DJINNS was written at the request of pianist Caroline Montigny-Rémaury, though César Franck's (1822-1890) short work for piano and orchestra was instead premiered on March 15, 1885 by Louis Diémer with the Société Nationale de Musique. The piece is inspired by the poem of the same name in Victor Hugo's LES ORIENTALES, as Franck represents the idea of the mysterious and supernatural forces tearing the nocturnal sky through their passage. Franck was impressed with the virtuosic playing and interpretation of Diémer in this difficult work, which sparked a renewed interest in the piano for the composer. Instrumentation: 2.2.2.4: 4.2.3.1: Timp: Str (9-8-7-6-5 in set): Solo Piano.