While we celebrate the centenary of Debussy's death, we shouldn't forget that just ten days before the great Claude passed away, so did the too-young Lili Boulanger, at the age of just 24. Her famous sister, Nadia, would venerate her memory for the rest of her life ("She was the incarnation of all that was best, most intimate, most profound in my life"), putting her on such a pedestal that one might well wonder if she did more harm than good. Because in reality Lili Boulanger's music is quite capable of speaking for itself, and with brio, without needing to be filtered through her sister, or to be crowned with the halo of a tragic life story, which would only serve to obscure its musical significance. Remember that she was the first woman to win the Prix de Rome award, for her cantata Faust et Hélène, which could take more than a few Prix-de-Rome-winning cantatas down a peg or two, including some by her famous successors. In Lili Boulanger's modestly-sized catalogue, it's vocal compositions that hold centre stage, reflecting her great sense for the almost-endless expressive possibilities offered by the human voice. The pieces recorded here first came out between 1911 and 1917; yes, Lili Boulanger was influenced by Debussy, but Franck is here too, in a sense, all in a harmonic writing whose complexity and refinement comes close, in fact, to the works of Ravel. The Orpheus Vokalensemble, although based in Germany, boasts a deliberately international line-up, which unites many different techniques and singers from many different backgrounds. © SM/Qobuz