The 1164th House Concert, July Festival: Lecture 1. Debussy & Ravel

[PROGRAM] The theme of the 2026 July Festival is French music. From the polyphonic music of the medieval Notre-Dame School through the 14th-century "Ars Nova," the 17th-century court music culture, and into the 20th century, French music has maintained a distinct presence in each era while creating new artistic currents. At the starting point of contemporary French music stand Claude Debussy and Maurice Ravel. Though seemingly similar, these two composers with distinctly different personalities shaped the image of French music we know today through their refined timbres and color, restrained elegance, and flexible rhythms. This festival offers an opportunity to encounter numerous masterworks by these two composers. Debussy and Ravel honed their musical world while passing through the "Belle Époque (Beautiful Era)" and experiencing World War I and the roaring twenties. In this lecture, we will look back at the atmosphere and artistic environment of the era in which they lived, and examine their lives and music more vividly. Going one step beyond simply listening to their works, this will be a time to naturally understand the background and sensibility from which their music was born. *A wine party will follow the lecture.