Nadia and Lili Boulanger, hailing from a musical family, displayed undeniable compositional talent from childhood. Sadly, Lili’s untimely death cut short the close bond between the two artists. Works by both women – representatives of a generation that debuted in the early 20th century – will be presented alongside Gabriel Fauré’s Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor, a piece composed before the sisters were born. These extraordinary works will be performed by an international ensemble featuring violinist Usha Kapoor, violist Emma Werning, cellist Tatu Kauppinen, and pianist Anna Han.

The name of Nadia Boulanger is certainly familiar to most people interested in the history of Polish music. Grażyna Bacewicz, Wojciech Kilar, Kazimierz Serocki, and many others travelled to Paris to delve into the secrets of composition under her mentorship. Lili, less well-known than her sister, lived to be only twenty-four due to poor health. In 1913, she became the first woman to win the prestigious Prix de Rome in music. Shortly after Lili’s death in 1918, Nadia, who considered her sister the more gifted of the two, abandoned her own creative work. Throughout her long life, she dedicated herself to championing the legacy of the sister she had lost too early.

Lili Boulanger’s Nocturne and Cortège are light works characterised by the pastel hues typical of late French Romanticism. In contrast, the two harmonically bolder compositions by the same author included in the programme rank among the very last she wrote. The mesmerising D’un soir triste is an evening meditation; time passes as thoughts drift in strange directions, unexpectedly growing heavy and dense. In contrast, D’un matin de printemps seems to evoke a crisp, rainy morning. Nadia’s Three Pieces, which provide a musical counterpoint, are miniature gems offering immense scope for expression. They give no hint that, within a few years, Boulanger would become a guiding light for young Neoclassicists. Gabriel Fauré’s unforgettable Quartet fits the programme perfectly – perhaps because the composer of the Requiem was the teacher of that legendary mentor. Will the perspectives of these three composers prove to align?