AL 30 757  French Music for Mixed Choir Those who love choral singing often lament not knowing how to go about finding, among the heaps of scores written for multiple singers, the rare gem whose discovery would intensify the enjoyment of singing together. What unknown treasure might bring a programme the touch of originality that makes it stand out? As the fruit of long and hard research on the subject, this anthology of French pieces for choir is one we hope will go down in history. The first section is made up of original works written for choral ensemble: Gabriel Faurés Op. 35 Madrigal exhales a melancholy sensuality that is shared to some degree by Reynaldo Hahns Rondels  and within this Renaissance pastiche lies a real masterpiece, Gardez le trait de la fenêtre. Le Ballet des ombres, written by a young Berlioz, drinks from the whimsical source of Romanticism (Herder). The second section assembles choral transcriptions of melodies  such as Beau soir by Debussy and Deux Prières by Milhaud  along with excellent arrangements like Choral inappétissant extracted from Saties piano in Sports et divertissements. A treasure trove of pure delight.