Henri Dutilleux (1916-2013) was the outstanding French composer of recent decades, despite produced barely a dozen major compositions in a six-plus decade career. The Symphony No. 1 is an early work and the composer's first piece for orchestra. It is in four movements, but these do not all conform to traditional types. Cellist Xavier Phillips' interpretation of Tout un monde lointain was praised by the composer, who remarked, '(he) fully owns this work and evokes the very essence of its title.'