French composer Yves Ramette offers three lyrical works for orchestra that he calls, a “message from the heart.”

Prélude, Fugue et Postlude
Ramette composed Prélude, Fugue et Postlude in 1952 for string orchestra, piano and kettledrums. The theme of the fugue is heard in the opening Prelude. Rhythmic movements subside and become calm as the fugue approaches. The Fugue begins pianissimo, featuring the warm tones of the bass and cello. After the exposition and development, the orchestra builds and is brought to full strength. The Fugue moves directly into the Postlude where the orchestra begins to subside until the mood again is calm as the piece ends with a final arpeggio of the piano.

Symphony No. 3
Symphony No. 3, composed in 1948-1949 for great string orchestra, is not constructed in the classical form but in three parts: Adagio, Allegro, Adagio. Each movement however, is constructed with exactness–first, like a large song in three sections and second, like a sonata form. The symphony is performed without interruption. The feelings of the composer as expressed in this work are “sadness, revolt and calming.” Prélude, Fugue et Postlude and Symphony No. 3 are direct and personal works. The music of these compositions is not intellectual, it is a “message of the heart.”

Symphony No. 5
Symphony No. 5, “Hymn for Life” (1956) is dedicated in memoriam to Arthur Honegger. The symphony is written in three movements (the second and third played without interruption). Like Prélude, Fugue et Postlude and Symphony No. 3, Symphony No. 5 is a lyrical work, a “message from the heart.” To guide the listener, Ramette titled his symphony “Hymn to Life” with three parts: The Struggle, Dreams and Visions, Ascent to the Light. This is not however, a programmatic work. This symphony is constructed in a cyclical form.