Brussels Philharmonic, Lorenzo Gatto, Stéphane Denève

J'ai embrassé l'aube d'été - Arthur Rimbaud

The setting: an enchanted garden, a summer breeze, the sun high in the sky. The symphonic poem Pastorale d'Eté by Arthur Honegger sets the tone: full of atmosphere, somewhat subdued, with languid influences of jazz and dreamy strings.

Meanwhile, the sun is shining high in the sky, a twinkling star at the zenith. Piet Swerts takes us along, with his Zodiac violin concerto, to the moment where the sun, in the middle of the day, reaches its high point. And it continues, into space – the sun is, after all, a start, and Swerts translates the constellations stars into music.

Fortunately, sunset soon beckons, bringing with it a fresh breeze and lush greenery in Le Jardin féerique: the final movement of Ravel’s Ma mère l'oye (a ballet suite based on various familiar nursery rhymes) brings peace and rest in an enchanted garden, a dreamy and serene spot where it is lovely to relax after a long day.

Flagey, Brussels Philharmonic