Louis Babin, Saint-Exupery and Other Works

Saint-Exupery was a French writer, poet and pioneering aviator. His novel masterpiece The Little Prince appeared in 1943 at the same time as he was serving as a pilot in the French Air Squadron in North Africa. He flew on a mission over Occupied France and never returned, presumed dead.

Saint-Exupery: De Coeur, De Sable et D'Etoiles and Other Works (Les Productions Louis Babin ODL-LB-002) is Canadian composer Louis Babin's tribute to the life and work of Saint-Exupery. It features the centerpiece "Saint-Exupery: de coeuer, de sable et d'etoiles" along with "Couleurs" and "Le Suite du promeneur," all orchestral works performed quite respectably by the Moravian Philharmonic under Petr Vronsky.

These are descriptively modern tonal pieces that cover some considerable terrain with a post-romantic sensibility and a varied palette of orchestral colors. There is much to appreciate, vivid music from a Canadian composer who is perhaps not as well known outside his home country as he deserves. Saint-Exupery gives us three exemplary works that serve as a good introduction to Louis Babin. Listen and enjoy.