Composer: Charles-Valentin Alkan, Cécile Chaminade, Ernest Chausson, Benjamin Louis Paul Godard, Jules Emile Frederic Massenet, Joseph Guy Ropartz
Performer: Stephanie McCallum, Erin Helyard
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Toccata
Catalogue: TOCN0007
Release: 2021
Size: 1.08 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
Chausson: Sonatine No. 1 in G major for Piano Duet
01. I. Gaîment
02. II. Andante
03. III. Finale
Chausson: Sonatine No. 2 in D minor for Piano Duet
04. I. Mouvement de marché
05. II. Variations sur un thème danois
06. III. Rondeau
Ropartz: 10 Petites pièces, Pour Gaud
07 .No. 1, Andante
08. No. 2, Lento
09. No. 3, Allegretto
Ropartz: 10 Petites pièces, Sons de cloches
10 .No. 4, L’angelus
11. No. 5, Le glas
12. No. 6, Cloches du soir
Ropartz: Petites Pièces
13 .No. 7, Choral
14. No. 8, Tristesse
15. No. 9, Intimité
16. No. 10, Par les champs
Massenet: Suite for Piano Duet, Op. 11
17. No. 1, Andante
18. No. 2, Allegretto quasi allegro
19. No. 3, Andante
Alkan: Cello Sonata, Op. 47
20. IV. Finale alla saltarella (Arr. for Piano 4 Hands)
Chaminade: Pièces romantiques, Op. 55
21. No. 1, Primavera
22. No. 3, Idylle arabe
23. No. 4, Sérénade d’automne
Godard: Morceaux, Op. 137
24. No. 1, Pastorale mélancolique
25. No. 2, Marché villageoise
Playing four-hands piano was both vital in the dissemination of music in the nineteenth century and also a popular domestic activity. The French composers recorded here span the Romantic century, from the salon charm of Chaminade and Massenet and the virtuosity of Alkan’s wild dance to the innocence of the family music-room in pieces by Chausson, Godard and Ropartz. The original 1853 Parisian Erard piano on which this recording was made combines warmth with bell-like clarity due to its straight stringing, allowing it to produce a surprising variety of appealing, expressive textures.