André Souris was sort of a Belgian Poulenc or follower of “Les Six”. His music consists largely of brief, brittle, witty neo-classical dance pieces. The Concert Flamand pays homage to music of the Renaissance in the manner of Poulenc’s Suite Française, while the Tombeau de Socrate refers to Satie’s masterpiece. The largest work here, Rangaines, a multi-movement suite for wind quintet, stands squarely in the modern French style that typified the first half of the last century (Jean Francaix also springs to mind). A touch of Orientalism characterizes such songs as the Trois Poèms Japonais and “Java” from Trois Flonflons.
There’s nothing terribly deep or serious here, but all of the music is quite enjoyable, and the performances, beautifully recorded, are expert. Song texts come in French only and the documentation and notes are somewhat confusing as to which forces are used in each work and who plays or sings what. Still, if you’re interested in the French musical surrealists, neo-classicists, and (mostly) tonal modernists, then you’ll enjoy this wide-ranging collection.
