3x7 - 3 composers multiplied by 7 instruments: the maximum ensemble size (in various configurations) used in this program full of common references, symmetries and events resulting from the proximity of three musicians who all witnessed and played an active role in the unique artistic world of the Parisian "Debut du siècle".

In a well-known statement, Igor Stravinsky, who sought refuge in the neutral Swiss town of Morges in 1917, described L'Histoire du soldat as a "war theater" featuring a traveling troupe small enough to tour Swiss villages with a story simple enough to be easily understood.

Although the tour never took place, L'Histoire paved the way for a new concept in music theater, and as the Suite (1919) shows, the seven parts, in pairs of high and low instruments of each family (violin / double bass, clarinet / bassoon, cornet / trombone) plus percussion (for the devil's sorcery), can even do without the narrator.

in 1921, Francis Poulenc and his mentor Erik Satie each took part in a Théâtre Bouffe show with Le Gendarme incompris and Le Piège de Méduse respectively. These two works actively sought provocation and scandal, with incredibly surreal plots and nonsensical scenarios. Poulenc used his incidental music as the basis for a four-part suite for a seven-piece 'small orchestra'.

Satie, meanwhile, reused his seven Toutes Petites Danses for piano and arranged them for the same seven-piece ensemble as Poulenc. Satie's Trois Valses distinguées du précieux dégoûté are closely linked to Le Piège.

They are a merciless portrait of an extremely cultivated dandy who is easily recognizable as Ravel and who had recently written a few waltzes himself (the Valses nobles et sentimentales). Poulenc's Sonata for clarinet and bassoon makes full use of the sound qualities of the two woodwind instruments (the same ones Stravinsky used in L'Histoire) and fits perfectly into the climate that led to Cocteau's Rappel à l'ordre ("Return to Order") and the end of the most revolutionary and experimental period of the Parisian avant-garde.

Many years later, Stravinsky, who had emigrated to the USA, composed one of his most important works from his late phase (he had turned to serialism): the Septet. Not only is it a demanding piece of musical arithmetic and a work of exemplary compositional rigor, it also exhibits masterful symmetry, not least in its new ensemble of seven instruments, which "balances" the piano between three strings and three wind instruments - a choice far removed from the scoring of its direct counterpart, L'Histoire - thus closing the program.

Further information
- Recorded in April and May 2022 in Amelia, Italy
- The booklet in English contains liner notes by the ensemble's pianist, Silvia Paparelli, as well as biographies of the group and its conductor

- This original program presents three composers who were active in Paris, the cultural hotspot of Europe, in the early 20th century: Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971), Francis Poulenc (1899-1963) and Erik Satie (1866-1925).
- Works for septet will be presented with various instruments, including clarinet, bassoon, cornett, trombone, horn, violin, viola, cello, double bass, percussion and piano. We hear L'histoire du soldat and the Septet by Stravinsky, the Suite from Le Piège de Méduse by Satie and the Suite du Gendarme incompris by Poulenc.
- Original, provocative and rousing music, played with enthusiasm by the Italian ensemble In Canto under the direction of Fabio Maestri.