Choeur des frileuses

This charming French secular part-song for two-part female voices captures a delightful scene of women seeking refuge from the cold. The music opens with a sense of briskness, perhaps mirroring the shivering singers, before unfolding into a more lyrical and descriptive passage. The text paints a vivid picture of winter's arrival, with the snow threatening to engulf the landscape and the women longing for the warmth of home. They contrast their plight with more courageous souls seeking a rare snowdrop, a flower whose beauty is imagined to be divinely inspired. Delibes' setting is both evocative and characterful, perfectly suiting the wintry subject matter.