Celebrated British pianist Martin Jones recorded the complete piano music of Jean Francaix (1912-1997) in 2012 on 3 CDs. This is a compilation of his best music, in which wit, sophistication and extreme virtuosity combine in one of the twentieth century's instantly recognisable voices.
This set brings together twelve French-trained pianists performing thirteen French works for piano and orchestra of which ten are premiere recordings. Most of the performers knew the composers and worked with them and four works are performed by their composers. It's hard to imagine a more definitive view of this repertoire, recorded at a time when French pianism still had a very distinctive personal voice, and as such, these recordings, many little known, are a permanent legacy of their time.
This CD is devoted to some of the most significant pieces for trumpet and piano, a formation that was born, literally, at the beginning of the last century. No prominent nineteenth–century composer has left us chamber pieces, let alone duo pieces, that involve the solo use of the trumpet; and it might be worth briefly questioning the reasons for the instrument’s nearly total absence from the repertoire. With this Album With this publication we will try to identify the reasons and to dis-cover some of the most evocative passages dedicated to it.
Boulanger, Debussy, Francaix & Ravel: Reflexions - French Pi
Haenssler Classic
CD
$20.99Nov 01, 2024
French Piano Trios - Trio Gaon Trio Gaon presents major works of French chamber music with compositions by Debussy, Ravel, Lili Boulanger and Francaix. This is a genre that does not really have a large selection of works to choose from as there were not many French composers who dedicated themselves to this form of instrumentation, something that can be explained by the historical development of music particular to France. More comfortable with opera, French composers belatedly began to turn to composing instrumental music in the middle of the 19th century in an effort to emancipate themselves from the predominance of the German and Austrian musical tradition, and thus from one of it's most important forms, that of the sonata.
Enescu, Francaix, Gershwin & Honegger: Intrada - Music for Trumpet & Piano / Tomasoni, Ijlstra, Bal
Channel Classics
CD
$20.99Jun 10, 2022
This album presents some of the all-time “classics” of the classical trumpet repertoire. After much deliberation on how, when, what and why, trumpeter Omar Tomasoni explains that two specific events convinced him that now was the time to make the recording: the birth of his son Siebe and the pandemic. The program includes Brandt’s Concertpieces Nos. 1 & 2, Françaix’s Sonatine for Trumpet, Enescu’s Legend for Trumpet & Piano, and Honegger’s Intrada performed by Omar Tomasoni and pianist Jeroen Bal. For a newly commissioned piece by Rob Goorhuis, entitled Canzoni, they are joined by saxophone player Femke IJlstra. The album is concluded by Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, arranged for trumpet & piano by Timofei Dokschitzer. In Omar Tomasoni’s personal note in the booklet he writes: “I want this album to be a testimony to the artist I am today. (...) A big thank you to Rob Goorhuis for accepting my invitation to compose an original piece. His Canzoni went beyond my expectations.” Omar Tomasoni is Principal Trumpet of the Concertgebouworkest in Amsterdam. He is also a trumpet professor at the Conservatorium van Amsterdam. Jeroen Bal is the pianist of the Concertgebouworkest.
Wind Piano Trios brings together four outstanding works for oboe, bassoon, and piano, performed by the Trío Ausiàs March, one of Spain's most active chamber ensembles for contemporary and 20th-century repertoire. This release offers a compelling journey through nearly a century of music, from the neoclassical elegance of Francis Poulenc and Jean Françaix to the stylistic openness of André Previn and the vibrant contemporary voice of Jorge Santos. At the heart of the programme stands Poulenc's Trio FP 43 (1926), a cornerstone of the repertoire, combining wit, lyricism, and refined harmonic colour. Françaix's late Trio (1994) displays his unmistakable blend of clarity, humour, and rhythmic vitality, while Previn's Trio (1994) introduces jazz-inflected rhythms and cinematic lyricism, reflecting his unique crossover between classical, jazz, and film music. The programme concludes with Jorge Santos's Trio (2001), a work that fuses contemporary techniques with Latin and jazz influences, adding a distinctive modern perspective. Recorded at the Auditorio Manuel de Falla in Granada, this album combines artistic excellence with outstanding sound quality. Wind Piano Trios is an attractive release for distributors seeking high-level chamber music, strong repertoire value, and a balance between established masterpieces and contemporary works.
This was something I'd had in mind for a long time..." says pianist Alexandre Tharaud, "to put together an album for the sheer pleasure of it, in collaboration with dear friends and paying tribute to the wonders of the piano duet repertoire." The aptly named 4 Hands offers 18 tracks, each just a few minutes in length, each featuring Tharaud sharing a piano keyboard with a different partner. The repertoire ranges wide - from Bach to Glass by way of such composers as Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Fauré, Satie, Debussy, Ravel, Rachmaninoff, Ravel, and Piazzolla. 15 of Tharaud's fellow performers are celebrated pianists - among them the late Nicholas Angelich, Mariam Batsashvili, Bertrand Chamayou, David Fray, Víkingur Ólafsson, and Beatrice Rana. The other three, all stars in their musical fields, are shown in a new, pianistic light: cellist Gautier Capuçon, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and singer-songwriter Juliette. "The piano duet is one of life's miracles," continues Tharaud. "First and foremost, it is the most intimate way of playing chamber music... It was a joy to record this album... If hearing these pieces prompts people to buy some sheet music and enjoy playing duets together - just as we did in the recording studio - then I will have achieved my aim.
“The English horn needs a soft, round vibrato ... We are among those who can move people to tears,” says Dominik Wollenweber about his instrument. Let us not be misled by the humble conduct, and the absence of laudatory articles and glossy photographs. Wollenweber is one of the world’s finest cor anglais players. Claudio Abbado has even labelled him the “best player of all time”. Since 1993, Dominik Wollenweber has been with the Berliner Philharmoniker, members of which keep him company throughout the present recording. Conducted by Sir Simon Rattle, the orchestra accompany Wollenweber in Sibelius’s wonderful tone poem The Swan of Tuonela. It is difficult to imagine an album dedicated to the English horn without the Largo from Dvorák’s New World Symphony or without the solo from Wagner’s Tristan und Isolde. On the other hand, Bach’s Concerto in G major and Schubert’s Impromptu No. 3 may come as a surprise, while Jean Françaix’s Quartet is simply bound to lift the listener’s spirit. If you love the English horn’s singularly dark velvety color, which otherwise can only be heard rather as a gleam of a gem stone on the large canvases of symphonic pieces, then this album is definitely for you. And those who have yet to discover the beauty of the cor anglais will undoubtedly savor the musical menu drawn up by a true master of the instrument. An irresistibly lovely tone. The English horn in the hands of a true master.
