In the “Nocturnes” for orchestra and women’s chorus, composed between 1897 and 1899, Debussy realised his concept that the musical form should emerge freely from the material. With the tripartite structure, he referenced the symphony, but at the same time distanced himself from it by replacing the motivic-thematic aspects with a variety of nuanced timbres. The movement titles “Nuages” (clouds), “Fêtes” (festivals) and “Sirènes” (sirens), deriving from nature and culture, allude to the programme ...