Les Béatitudes, (Op. 25), CFF 185, FWV 53,The work was never published with an Opus number. is a French oratorio written by César Franck from 1869 to 1879 and scored for orchestra, chorus, and soloists. The text is a poetic meditation on the eight beatitudes of Jesus, from the Gospel of Matthew, by Joséphine-Blanche Colomb. It was first performed, in reduced form, on 20 February 1879 at a private performance in Franck's home in Paris. The full oratorio was not performed until after Franck's death, on 19 March 1893 in Colonne.
The work, at nearly two hours, is among Franck's largest compositions. It is scored for orchestra, choir, and eight soloists (soprano, mezzo-soprano, contralto, 2 tenors, baritone, and 2 basses).
The work is divided into eight parts and a prologue:
Prologue
Recordings Helmuth Rilling conducting the SWR Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, with Gilles Cachemaille, John Cheek, Keith Lewis Armin Jordan conducting the Nouvel Orchestre Philharmonique and Chœurs de Radio France, with Louise Lebrun, Jane Berbié, Nathalie Stutzmann, et al. Gergely Madaras conducting the Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège, with Anne-Catherine Gillet, David Bizic, Héloïse Mas, John Irvin et al.
Notes
External links
Jean Robert. Les Béatitudes de César Franck: Part 1 (general information); Part 2 (Béatitudes 1–4); Part 3 (Béatitudes 5–6); Part 4 (Béatitudes 7–8)
Norman Demuth (1949). César Franck. New York: Philosophical Library, 1949. P. 163–171