César Franck’s Rédemption (1873) is a pivotal work. It is an “ode-symphony”, coming at the crossover point between oratorio, opera and symphonic poem – a vein brilliantly exploited by Franck in Psyché (1888) and Les Béatitudes (1891). Rédemption also marks a further progression: with this vast fresco César Franck became “le père Franck”, leading father figure in the new French compositional school, the composer of maturity, creator of Le Chasseur maudit (1883), the Variations symphoniques (1885) and Les Éolides (1885). Here we see the organist becoming a virtuoso in handling grand orchestral or vocal forces and taking his place amongst the major composers of the Symbolist period.
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