Shéhérazade, for orchestra and soprano, reflects the composer’s fascination with Schéhérazade, the heroine and narrator of The Arabian Nights. Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé, Suite No. 2 begins with one of the most evocative sunrises ever described in music and ends in ecstatic reunion, all the while sighed and swooned over by the wordless chorus. In contrast to many somber and bombastic requiems, Gabriel Fauré’s is beautifully melodic, with a serene, peaceful outlook, full of solace and free from fear.