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Ress_rarities

Faire découvrir les pépites du répertoire méconnu

The rarities of Pianists Corner: Mompou, Cancion i danza n°6

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Mompou, Cancion i danza n°6

Frederic Mompou, like Francis Poulenc or George Enesco, is one of those musicians whose music realizes the paradox of presenting clearly identifiable influences while remaining clearly recognizable.  For this Catalan composer, the popular traditions of his country are a primary source of inspiration. The Cancion i Danza n°6 is dedicated to Arthur Rubinstein. With its intimacy and purity, the cancion is representative of what makes Mompou’s music so special, while the danza, like all the dances in the cycle, is more playful.

Discover the interpretations of the Cancion i Danza n°6 by Arturo Benedetti Michelangeli, Jordi Masó i Rahola, Clelia Iruzun, Gila Goldstein and Konstantin Bogino.

The rarities of Pianists Corner: Lili Boulanger, D’un vieux jardin

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Lili Boulanger, D’un vieux jardin

The work of Lili Boulanger (1893 – 1918), often of mystical or religious inspiration, is probably marked by the awareness of her illness, which will kill her at the age of 25. D’un vieux jardin, composed at the beginning of the First World War, is the first piece in a trilogy comprising D’un jardin clair and Cortège. Its mysterious tone and its chiaroscuro plays are characteristic of a rich and moving harmony, which can recall Fauré and Debussy, with a deeply personal touch.

Discover the interpretation of Antonio Oyarzabal.

The rarities of Pianists Corner : Grażyna Bacewicz, Piano Sonata n°2

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Grażyna Bacewicz, Piano Sonata n°2

Grażyna Bacewicz, in addition to being a renowned Polish violinist and prolific composer, was an excellent pianist, as evidenced by her monumental Sonata No. 2, composed in 1953, which she performed herself (surprisingly, there is no trace of any Sonata No. 1). The writing is resolutely modern, harmonically audacious and of immense expressive richness. The exploratory aspect summons very varied climates, from a diffuse anxiety to an electric outburst. The first movement, Maestoso – Agitato, broad and full of determination, gives way to a lyrical and mysterious Largo, before an unpredictable Toccata.

Discover the interpretations of Anna Szałucka

The rarities of Pianists Corner: Komitas, 7 dances for piano

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Komitas, 7 dances for piano

Komitas (1869-1935), a priest, composer, musicologist and singer, is a key figure in Armenian culture. He worked for the rediscovery and revival of traditional Armenian music. The 7 Dances for Piano, with their monothematic structure, the use of Armenian modes and the very particular rhythmic writing, are characteristic of Komitas’ work of re-appropriation and re-creation.


Discover the interpretations of Mikhail Kollontay and Takahiro Akiba.

The rarities of Pianists Corner: Blumenfeld, study for left hand op.36

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Blumenfeld, study for left hand op.36

Works for the left hand occupy a place of honor in piano literature, and many composers have been exposed to the genre. In contrast to the divide where the left hand merely accompanies the right hand, which has the singing, these works restore it by allowing it to express its full melodic potential, and often have nothing to envy the works for both hands. Felix Blumenfeld (1863 – 1931), pianist, composer, teacher and conductor of Austrian and Polish origin, teacher of Vladimir Horowitz, uncle of Heinrich Neuhaus and cousin of Karol Szymanowski, wrote this magnificent study for the left hand, dedicated to Leopold Godowski, also a master in the art of the left hand. The work, lyrical and brilliant, was composed in 1905, 13 years before his illness which paralyzed his right arm.

Discover the interpretations of Kirill Gerstein and Rustem Hayroudinoff.

The rarities of Pianists Corner : Gottschalk (1829-1869), Grande Fantaisie triomphale sur l’hymne national brésilien

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Gottschalk (1829-1869), Grande Fantaisie triomphale sur l’hymne national brésilien


Born in New Orleans, the cradle of jazz, Louis Moreau Gottschalk is a virtuoso pianist and colourful composer. Nicknamed the American Liszt, he has the verve, lyricism and virtuosity of the Hungarian master. He likes to surround himself with legends, travels around the world to play his works and please kings, and organizes monster concerts with several hundred pianos on stage. His works are inspired by the countries he travels through, and often prefigure jazz or ragtime.


Discover the Grande Fantaisie triomphale sur l’hymne national brésilien in the interpretations of Eudoxia de Barros and Clelia Iruzun.

The rarities of Pianists Corner: Taneyev, Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor

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Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor

Sergei Taneyev (1856-1915) is an emblematic figure in the development of music in Russia. As a pianist, composer and renowned pedagogue, he transmitted his teaching inherited from Piotr Tchaikovsky and Nikolai Rubinstein to a whole generation of pianist-composers, including Scriabin, Rachmaninov and Medtner. Although best known for his cantatas, symphonies and chamber music, his piano music contains a few jewels, such as this Prelude and Fugue in G-sharp minor. The Prelude, with its languid and refined atmosphere, precedes a fugue of formidable virtuosity.


Discover the interpretations of Lilya Zilberstein, Nikita Mndoyants and Anastasiya Evsina.