Paris, during the first half of the 20th century, was one of the most vibrant and influential cities in the world. Major figures from every discipline of the arts chose Paris as their home and fed off one another’s creativity to produce some of the most important art ever seen.

This record focuses on the incredible influence of Impressario Sergei Diaghilev, commissioner of such works as Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring; the irrepressible Jean Cocteau - writer, poet, artist, critic, film-maker, and self-appointed spokesman of the ground breaking group of French composers known as Les Six; and Pablo Picasso, one of the greatest geniuses in art history.

With music by Stravinsky, Poulenc and Milhaud, most of which was written for projects involving Diaghilev, Cocteau or Picasso, as well as extensive booklet notes, the principal aim of this programme is not only to give an idea of the wealth of great music that came out of Paris at this time but also to show how distinctly influenced by each other these creative minds were