Swiss by birth, Arthur Honegger was one of the 20th century's greatest French composers. Aligned with the group Les Six from 1920, he made his first impression with the oratorio Le Roi David (1921); not long after that he composed his most famous work, the symphonic poem Pacific 231 (1923). Honegger was one of the first significant composers of film music in Europe and he wrote five symphonies, of which the Symphony No. 2 for trumpet and strings (1940) is the most often performed. His last years were plagued by ill health and the unsubstantiated accusation that he was an Axis powers collaborator.