Various Artists - French Piano Concertos (CD)

Details: This gorgeous set is dedicated to piano concertante works from the pens of French composers - infinitely varied compositions that nevertheless each bear the unmistakable flavor of their native idiom. The French piano concerto was a late arrival on the European stage, and even then many French composers would opt to combine piano and orchestra outside the confines of strict concerto form. This set hones in on the genre's heyday along with two precursors: a two-movement Concerto in F (1792) by the 'French Mozart' Boieldieu and the early Concerti da camera Op.10 (1832-38) by the maverick genius Alkan. The set begins with the five piano concertos that traverse Saint-Saëns's career, along with concertante pieces he composed in the 1880s during a 20-year hiatus between his Fourth (1875) and Fifth (1896). The '80s were fertile for Saint-Saëns's contemporary Franck, as well, who returned to the piano after decades focusing on the organ and on choral music to create such piano concertante masterworks as Les Djinns and the Variations symphoniques. The latter work was an influence on Claude Debussy's Fantaisie, in terms of the roles assigned to the orchestra and solo piano and the work's structure, and like Franck before him, Debussy would disown this youthful work to move in a new direction - surprising given the warm reception enjoyed today by the early works of both composers. The influence of Saint-Saëns and Franck would extend to several of Debussy's contemporaries, as well. Jules Massenet's Concerto in E flat, begun in his early twenties, but only finished at the turn of the century after his many successful operas, arrived too late for the shifting tastes of the time, which had turned their backs on romantic virtuosity in favor of the impressionistic and neo-classical. Three of the group 'Les Six' figure on this set: Francis Poulenc and the charm and wit of his Concertos for one and for two Pianos, Germaine Tailleferre and the impressionistic orientalism of her Ballade, and the prolific Darius Milhaud who contributes no less than five piano concertos and four other concertante pieces. Albert Roussel and Reynaldo Hahn, though older than the members of 'Les Six', would only come to write piano concertos in their 50s, well into the inter-war period. Hahn's concerto is featured here in a very special remastered historic recording from 1937, with the composer at the podium and the renowned Brazilian pianist Magda Tagliaferro as soloist.

Tracklist:

1. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Major Op. 17: I. Andante - Allegro Assai
2. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Major Op. 17: II. Andante Sostenuto Quasi Adagio
3. Piano Concerto No. 1 in D Major Op. 17: III. Allegro Con Fuoco
4. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 22: I. Andante Sostenuto
5. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 22: II. Allegro Scherzando
6. Piano Concerto No. 2 in G Minor Op. 22: III. Presto
7. Piano Concerto No. 4 in C Minor Op. 44: I. Allegro Moderato
8. Piano Concerto No. 4 in C Minor Op. 44: II. Allegro Vivace
9. Piano Concerto No. 4 in C Minor Op. 44: II. Allegro Vivace
10. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-Flat Major Op. 29: I. Moderato Assai
11. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E-Flat Major Op. 29: II. Andante - III. Allegro Non Troppo
12. Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major Op. 103: I. Allegro Animato
13. Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major Op. 103: II. Andante
14. Piano Concerto No. 5 in F Major Op. 103: III. Molto Allegro
15. Africa Op. 89
16. Piano Concerto in F Major: I. Allegro
17. Piano Concerto in F Major: II. Pastorale Con Variazioni
18. Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major: I. Andante Moderato
19. Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major: II. Largo
20. Piano Concerto in E-Flat Major: III. Airs Slovaques. Allegro
21. Piano Concerto in C Minor Op. 12: I. Allegro
22. Piano Concerto in C Minor Op. 12: II. Scherzando
23. Piano Concerto in C Minor Op. 12: III. Final
24. Piano Concerto in F Minor: I. Lento - Allegro
25. Piano Concerto in F Minor: II. Lento
26. Piano Concerto in F Minor: III. Allegro
27. Concertstück in C-Sharp Minor Op. 40
28. Piano Concerto in G Major Op. 36: I. Allegro Molto
29. Piano Concerto in G Major Op. 36: II. Adagio
30. Piano Concerto in G Major Op. 36: III. Allegro Con Spirit
31. Piano Concerto: I. -
32. Piano Concerto: II. Andante
33. Piano Concerto: III. -
34. Piano Concerto: IV. Allegro
35. Concerto Da Camera No. 1 in a Minor Op. 10: I. Allegro
36. Concerto Da Camera No. 1 in a Minor Op. 10: II. Adagio
37. Concerto Da Camera No. 1 in a Minor Op. 10: III. Allegro
38. Concerto Da Camera No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor Op. 10: I. Allegro Moderato
39. Concerto Da Camera No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor Op. 10: II. Adagio
40. Concerto Da Camera No. 2 in C-Sharp Minor Op. 10: III. Primo Movimento
41. Concerto Da Camera No. 3 in C-Sharp Op. 10: I. Andante Con Moto
42. Symphony on a French Mountain Air Op. 25: I. Assez Lent - Modérément Animé
43. Symphony on a French Mountain Air Op. 25: II. Assez Modéré Mais Sans Lenteur
44. Symphony on a French Mountain Air Op. 25: III. Animé
45. Piano Concerto in E Major: I. Improvisation - Modéré
46. Piano Concerto in E Major: II. Danse
47. Piano Concerto in E Major: III. Rêverie
48. Piano Concerto in E Major: IV. Toccata - Finale
49. Ballade in F-Sharp Major Op. 19
50. Rhapsodie D'auvergne Op. 73
51. Wedding Cake Op. 76
52. Symphonic Variations FWV 46
53. Les Djinns in F-Sharp Minor FWV 45
54. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor Op. 11: I. Allegro Maestoso
55. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor Op. 11: II. Adagio
56. Piano Concerto No. 2 in B Minor Op. 11: III. Rondo. Allegro
57. Piano Concerto in G Major: I. Allegramente
58. Piano Concerto in G Major: II. Adagio Assai
59. Piano Concerto in G Major: III. Presto
60. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand in D Major M.82
61. Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra L. 73: I. Andante Ma Non Troppo
62. Fantaisie for Piano and Orchestra L. 73: II. Lento E Molto Espressivo - III. Allegro Molto
63. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: I. Le Corso
64. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: II. Tartaglia
65. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: III. Isabelle
66. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: IV. Rosetta
67. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: V. Le Bon Et Le Mauvais Tuteur
68. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: VI. Coviello
69. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: VII. Le Capitaine Cartuccia
70. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: VIII. Polichinelle
71. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: IX. Polka
72. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: X. Cinzio
73. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: XI. Souvenir de Rio
74. Le Carnaval D'aix Op. 83B: XII. Final
75. Ballade Op. 61
76. 5 Études Op. 63: I. Vif
77. 5 Études Op. 63: II. Doucement
78. 5 Études Op. 63: III. Fugues. Vif Et Rythmé
79. 5 Études Op. 63: IV. Sombre
80. 5 Études Op. 63: V. Romantique. TRÈS Animé
81. Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 127: I. TRÈS Vif
82. Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 127: II. Barcarolle
83. Piano Concerto No. 1 Op. 127: III. Finale
84. Fantaisie Pastorale Op. 188
85. Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 225: I. Animé
86. Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 225: II. Romance
87. Piano Concerto No. 2 Op. 225: III. Bien Modérément Animé
88. Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 270: I. Alerte Et Avec Élégance
89. Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 270: II. Lent
90. Piano Concerto No. 3 Op. 270: III. Avec Esprit Et Élégance
91. Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 295: I. Animé
92. Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 295: II. TRÈS Lent
93. Piano Concerto No. 4 Op. 295: III. Joyeux
94. Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 346: I. Alerte
95. Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 346: II. Nonchalant
96. Piano Concerto No. 5 Op. 346: III. Joyeux
97. Fantaisie for 'Piano and Orchestra: I. Lent. Grave - Allegro - Più Vivo. Tempo Molto Marcato - Moderato - Andante - Allegro
98. Ballade
99. Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor FP 146: I. Allegretto
100. Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor FP 146: II. Andante Con Moto
101. Piano Concerto in C-Sharp Minor FP 146: III. Rondo À la Française. Presto Giocoso
102. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: I. Allegro Giocoso
103. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: II. Doppio Più Lento
104. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: III. Scherzando
105. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: IV. Allegro Tieramente
106. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: I. Le Petit Jour. TRÈS Calme
107. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: IV. Le Lion Amoureux. Passionnément Animé
108. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: V. L'homme Entre Deux ges Et Ses Deux Maîtresses. Prestissimo
109. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: VI. La Mort Et Le Bûcheron. TRÈS Lent
110. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: VII. Les Deux Coqs. TRÈS Modéré
111. Les Animaux Modèles FP 111: VIII. Le Repas de Midi
112. Concerto for 2 Pianos in D Minor FP 61: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
113. Concerto for 2 Pianos in D Minor FP 61: II. Larghetto
114. Concerto for 2 Pianos in D Minor FP 61: III. Finale
115. Concerto