La Fuite

Duparc’s La Fuite, a youthful composition in the German ballad tradition which he withheld from publication during his lifetime, is a quite different kind of duet. A setting of words by Théophile Gautier, it is a dramatic two-part exchange driven by the galloping rhythm of the flight of two lovers - the fearless Kadidja and the anxious Ahmed - who find reassurance as their vocal lines are joined in counterpoint at the end.