Félicien David - Les Quatre Saisons : Soirées d'Hiver (extracts)

Félicien David (1810-1876)
Les Quatre Saisons, 24 Quintetti pour Deux Violons, Alto, Violoncelle et Contre-Basse (1845-1846)
4ème Série, Soirées d'Hiver :
00:00 3e Soirée d'Hiver (Andante con tristezza - Allegro agitato)
7:21 5e Soirée d'Hiver (Allegro moderato)
12:42 6e Soirée d'Hiver (Andante espressivo - Allegretto)

Ensemble Baroque de Limoge
Andrés Gambetta : violin (Anonymous, 18th century)
Maï Ngo : violin (School of Grancino, Milan, 1720)
Pierre Franck : viola (Gasparo Lorenzini, Cremona, c. 1730)
Christophe Coin : cello (Alessandro, Gagliano, Naples, c. 1720)
Yann Dubost : double bass (Anonymous, France, 19th century)

Félicien David is a French composer. He is primarly known for the major role he played in the development of Orientalism in French music, mainly through his ode-symphonie Le Désert (1844). This work, a huge succes, was composed using the memories of a travel he made in Orient between 1833 and 1835. Quite famous during his lifetime, Félicien David was almost completely forgotten after his death.
The 24 short quintets forming Les Quatre Saisons were composed by Félicien David between 1842 and 1844, mostly for the soirées organised each Thursday by one of his friends Jules Armingaud, famous violinist who officiated at the Concerts Valentino. During this soirées, Armingaud gathered other musician from the orchestra to play some chamber music.
Alexis Azvedo, his friend and biograph, wrote about this sessions : "[Félicien David] brought his first quintets to the gathering, and these were played and tested. To encourage him in his work, M. Armingaud and his coleagues insisted, in a friendly way, that David brings, each week, a new quintet. He would not fail to meet the request, which goes wothout saying. It is under these circumstances that the majority of the pieces which form the work entitled "the Seasons" was composed."