French Impressions was commissioned by the Metropolitan Wind Symphony of Boston, Massachusetts and received its first performance on November 7th 1998 conducted by their Music Director David Martins.
The work is inspired by four paintings by the French painter Georges Seurat, but does not attempt to recreate his pointillist technique in musical terms.
The first movement Parade contrasts the strange gas-lit world of La Parade de Cirque: Invitation to the Sideshow with the cool detached stance of A Bathing Place: Asnieres.
The second movement Can-Can recreates the world of two other paintings: Le Cirque and Le Chahut.
