Parisian Twilight

In the First World War, Debussy turned to chamber music, seeking clarity and restraint in the French tradition. His Cello Sonata (1915) draws on vivid, colourful Baroque models, while the Violin Sonata (1917), his final completed work, balances playfulness with poignant intensity.

A decade earlier, Ravel’s String Quartet in F major (1903–04) revealed his mastery of tradition and innovation. With crystalline textures and rhythmic vitality, it divided critics at first but went on to become one of the century’s defining chamber works.