Anthony McGill That Lightness of Spirit Anthony McGill has chosen an elegant and lyrical program of music from France, America, and Russia, nearly all from the early 20th century. This period saw the birth of modernism — including Cubism, Expressionism, Dadaism, Surrealism, and Futurism — yet this CD focuses on music that shares, in the words of Francis Poulenc, “that lightness of spirit without which life would be unendurable.” André Messager composed the delightfully sweet and showy Solo de Concours of 1901 for Paris Conservatoire clarinet students to cut their teeth upon. A student of Saint-Saëns and Fauré, Messager succeeded Fauré as organist and choirmaster at St. Sulpice, composed for the Folies-Bergère, and served as music director of the Opéra-Comique. Although he was only 9 years older than Debussy, and his own music was rooted in the traditions that Debussy rejected, Messager encouraged Debussy during the composition of Pelléas...