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Naxos

French Piano Rarities / Raat

$19.99

Details

Composer
VARIOUS
Artist
Ralph Van Raat
Format
CD
Label
Naxos
Released
May 22, 2020
Catalog #
8573894
UPC
747313389476

About

This album of French piano rarities features seldom-heard and recently discovered works by composers who had an influence on Pierre Boulez, as well as the premiere recording of Boulez’s Prélude, Toccata et Scherzo. This large-scale early work looks back on virtuosic Romantic music, while at the same time exploring the new compositional styles that Boulez would subsequently embrace.

Among the rarities is a posthumously discovered piano study by Debussy, a reconstructed birdsong work by Messiaen, and a tiny masterpiece by Ravel found in a notebook.

Ralph van Raat has been fascinated by classical music of the 20th century since the age of 14. Although his repertoire ranges from Bach to Boulez, his primary focus has always been on composers dating from Debussy, Bartók and Ives to present-day masters. Van Raat helps audiences identify with modern day composers by adhering to a classical approach: he firmly believes that a strong sense of classical structure as well as a refinement of tone is essential in conveying the logic and poetry of any music. This has not gone unrecognized: he is the recipient of a substantial number of national and international awards, many composers have written solo works for him, and he has performed over 50 piano concertos with orchestras worldwide.

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REVIEW:

In addition to other solo piano writing from Boulez, van Raat’s new album shows his lustrous way of playing lesser-heard gems by Debussy, Ravel and Messiaen. Given this repertoire, the album’s title, “French Piano Rarities,” makes plenty of sense. Yet it doesn’t do justice to the worldliness that informs this pianist’s process, no matter which tradition he is exploring.

– New York Times (Seth Colter Walls)

Tracklist 23 tracks

  1. 1 Étude retrouvée 04:12
    Track
    1
    Title
    Étude retrouvée
    Duration
    04:12
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  2. 2 Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon (Evenings Lit by the Burning Coals) 02:24
    Track
    2
    Title
    Les soirs illuminés par l'ardeur du charbon (Evenings Lit by the Burning Coals)
    Duration
    02:24
    Composer
    Claude Debussy
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  3. 3 Morceau de lecture à vue (Sight Reading Exercise) 01:53
    Track
    3
    Title
    Morceau de lecture à vue (Sight Reading Exercise)
    Duration
    01:53
    Composer
    Olivier Messiaen
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  4. 4 IV. Le Cossyphe d'Heuglin (The White-Browed Robin-Chat) 04:23
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Le Cossyphe d'Heuglin (The White-Browed Robin-Chat)
    Duration
    04:23
    Composer
    Olivier Messiaen
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  5. 5 IX. Le Moqueur polyglotte (The Mockingbird) 10:18
    Track
    5
    Title
    IX. Le Moqueur polyglotte (The Mockingbird)
    Duration
    10:18
    Composer
    Olivier Messiaen
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  6. 6 La Fauvette Passerinette (The Subalpine Warbler) 11:01
    Track
    6
    Title
    La Fauvette Passerinette (The Subalpine Warbler)
    Duration
    11:01
    Composer
    Olivier Messiaen
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  7. 7 Prelude 08:33
    Track
    7
    Title
    Prelude
    Duration
    08:33
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  8. 8 Toccata 10:25
    Track
    8
    Title
    Toccata
    Duration
    10:25
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  9. 9 Scherzo 07:48
    Track
    9
    Title
    Scherzo
    Duration
    07:48
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  10. 10 No. 1. Fantasque - Modéré 00:49
    Track
    10
    Title
    No. 1. Fantasque - Modéré
    Duration
    00:49
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  11. 11 No. 2. Très vif 00:21
    Track
    11
    Title
    No. 2. Très vif
    Duration
    00:21
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  12. 12 No. 3. Assez lent 00:48
    Track
    12
    Title
    No. 3. Assez lent
    Duration
    00:48
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  13. 13 No. 4. Rythmique 00:32
    Track
    13
    Title
    No. 4. Rythmique
    Duration
    00:32
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  14. 14 No. 5. Doux et improvisé 00:45
    Track
    14
    Title
    No. 5. Doux et improvisé
    Duration
    00:45
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  15. 15 No. 6. Rapide 00:26
    Track
    15
    Title
    No. 6. Rapide
    Duration
    00:26
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  16. 16 No. 7. Hiératique 00:58
    Track
    16
    Title
    No. 7. Hiératique
    Duration
    00:58
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  17. 17 No. 8. Modéré jusqu'à très vif 00:41
    Track
    17
    Title
    No. 8. Modéré jusqu'à très vif
    Duration
    00:41
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  18. 18 No. 9. Lointain - Calme 01:37
    Track
    18
    Title
    No. 9. Lointain - Calme
    Duration
    01:37
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  19. 19 No. 10. Mécanique et très sec 00:24
    Track
    19
    Title
    No. 10. Mécanique et très sec
    Duration
    00:24
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  20. 20 No. 11. Scintillant: Faire ressortir le chant en sauts disjoints 00:43
    Track
    20
    Title
    No. 11. Scintillant: Faire ressortir le chant en sauts disjoints
    Duration
    00:43
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  21. 21 No. 12. Lent - Puissant et âpre 01:24
    Track
    21
    Title
    No. 12. Lent - Puissant et âpre
    Duration
    01:24
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  22. 22 Une page d'éphéméride (A Calendar Page) 04:33
    Track
    22
    Title
    Une page d'éphéméride (A Calendar Page)
    Duration
    04:33
    Composer
    Pierre Boulez
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat
  23. 23 Menuet in C-Sharp Minor 00:59
    Track
    23
    Title
    Menuet in C-Sharp Minor
    Duration
    00:59
    Composer
    Maurice Ravel
    Performer
    Ralph van Raat