Jeanne d’Arc au bûcher, written by the Swiss composer Arthur Honegger in 1938, is a fasci- nating oratorio. The text by Paul Claudel is constructed like a flashback, in which Joan looks back over her life just before she dies. Marion Cotillard plays Joan with an overwhelming intensity and sincerity. The last moments of the martyr’s life, illustrated by the evocative and innovative music of Honegger, resound like a heartrending cry. With an exceptional cast of performers, this live recording offers a gripping new version of one of the masterpieces of twentieth-century music.