In 1893 Claude Debussy wrote to his friend "it is Tristan that prevents us from working. On can't see... I can't see what could be created beyond Tristan." The French intellectuals, especially musicians and writers, were captivated by the magic of Richard Wagner's music and were frantically looking for ideas as to how things could go on after Wagner. Without doubt, all musicians were acutely aware of the fact that the possibilities of tonality, the key element that had united European music for 400 years, were exhausted. However, in France there was more at stake: In 1870 the conflicts between Germany and France had culminated in a war that the French had lost. Subsequently, removing the German element at least from art and culture and developing genuinely French music became a question of national identity. That is why, in 1871, Gabriel Faure and Camille Saint Saens founded the Societe Nationale de Musique which was to further the new French music. The programme on the present release was born out of this tradition, and is performed here by the SWR Vokalensemble.