Today’s Video of the Day is a performance of Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées : I. 'C’est l’extase' by mezzo-soprano Magdalena Kožená & pianist Mitsuko Uchida. The recording can be found on their new album L’extase, a collection of songs by Claude Debussy and Olivier Messiaen. Debussy was Messiaen’s life-long idol, and their songs are equally colourful, sumptuous, sensual, and occasionally exotic. The album derives its name from the sultry song ‘C’est l’extase langoureuse’ from Debussy’s Ariettes oubliées, and this song cycle is combined with his Chansons de Bilitis and Cinq poèmes des Baudelaires, while Messiaen is represented by the second book of his Poèmes pour Mi, a declaration of love for his first wife Claire Delbos. The duo can also be found on the June cover of Gramophone!