The intensely personal music of French composer Anthony Girard embodies a wealth of expressive elements. Influences from oriental and medieval music are as pronounced as those of his great predecessors Debussy, Fauré, and Ravel. Luminous mysticism is frequently at the core of his writing, as in Vers le ciel whilst lyrical beauty radiates throughout Behind the Light. Dreamlike meditative states reflect Girard’s absorption in minimalism and in the second of the Deux Pièces d’après Marc Aurèle (Two Pieces after Marcus Aurelius) he explores music of timeless and rapt simplicity.