Holmès Augusta: Symphonic Poems

The Irish-French composer Augusta Holmès (1847-1903) is one of those female composers who knew how to overcome all hindrances with natural élan. "Like children, women have no concept of obstacles and their willpower tears down all walls," said her colleague Camille Saint-Saëns. He hit the nail on the head, as the three-movement tone poem Roland Furieux disarmingly demonstrates. Just as the strong emotions of the knight, who temporarily loses his mind in a love frenzy, so too are the surges of Holmès' orchestra, which she masters with awe-inspiring self-confidence in all its nuances. This artistry is present whether she is writing works with a national flavour or bringing mythical figures to life in song, as in the enchanting Andromède, who is saved from the "Battle of the Titans" by the loving Perseus.