Taking the works of a musical genius like Erik Satie and reworking them in new and exciting ways nearly a century later was the starting point for Deutsche Grammophon's Fragments project in 2022. Now the label has given the compositions of Lili Boulanger the same treatment.
Boulanger was the first woman to be awarded the Prix de Rome and we commemorated the centenary of her death in 2018. This iteration of Fragments takes 14 of her compositions, with some of today’s most innovative artists reworking them.
A series of singles to demonstrate what 100 years looks like in celebrating music began with Nocturne by electronic duo pølaroit in February 2024 and now the whole album has been released.
Fragments focuses on a wide spread of musical directions and perspectives. With Lili Boulanger, the project chose a young female composer, influenced by times of war and political instability, as well as living the typical life of a young person existing in an atmosphere of dreams, hope and lightness.
Growing up in Paris, Lili began learning organ, piano, cello, violin and harp in early childhood and decided to become a composer when she was only 17 years old. Her immense determination and boundless ability led her to win the Prix de Rome by the age of 24, being the first ever female composer to be awarded France’s most prestigious composition prize. Her immense talent enabled her to forge a place for herself with courage and authority in what was then very much a masculine sphere. Heavily influenced by the political situation of her time and her own health, Boulanger released over 50 pieces that draw the musical picture of a versatile compositional master-mind, growing up in a cosmos of tradition mixed with avangardesque tendencies. When Lili Boulanger died at the young age of 24, she had made herself a name within classical music, yet her most important works had not even been performed at that time, nor had Lili herself ever heard them.
Bringing the works of a female composer who died far too young but produced stunning music to a modern audience is itself a project built in genius. Boulanger's work took her from the experiences of the late 19th century and the turbulence of the early 20th century: it is exciting that it's now being celebrated in the 21st century at similarly turbulent times.
A series of singles to demonstrate what 100 years looks like in celebrating music began with Nocturne by electronic duo pølaroit in February 2024 and now the whole album has been released.
Fragments focuses on a wide spread of musical directions and perspectives. With Lili Boulanger, the project chose a young female composer, influenced by times of war and political instability, as well as living the typical life of a young person existing in an atmosphere of dreams, hope and lightness.
Growing up in Paris, Lili began learning organ, piano, cello, violin and harp in early childhood and decided to become a composer when she was only 17 years old. Her immense determination and boundless ability led her to win the Prix de Rome by the age of 24, being the first ever female composer to be awarded France’s most prestigious composition prize. Her immense talent enabled her to forge a place for herself with courage and authority in what was then very much a masculine sphere. Heavily influenced by the political situation of her time and her own health, Boulanger released over 50 pieces that draw the musical picture of a versatile compositional master-mind, growing up in a cosmos of tradition mixed with avangardesque tendencies. When Lili Boulanger died at the young age of 24, she had made herself a name within classical music, yet her most important works had not even been performed at that time, nor had Lili herself ever heard them.
Bringing the works of a female composer who died far too young but produced stunning music to a modern audience is itself a project built in genius. Boulanger's work took her from the experiences of the late 19th century and the turbulence of the early 20th century: it is exciting that it's now being celebrated in the 21st century at similarly turbulent times.
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