Performer: Stephen Hough
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Hyperion
Catalogue: CDA67890
Release: 2012
Size: 205 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Bach: Toccata & Fugue in D minor, BWV565
Bach: Keyboard Concerto No. 5 in F minor, BWV1056
02. II. Arioso
03. Fauré: Nocturne No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 63
Fauré: Pièces brèves, Op. 84
04. V. Improvisation in C sharp minor
05. Fauré: Impromptu No. 5 in F sharp minor Op. 102
06. Fauré: Barcarolle No. 5 in F sharp minor Op. 66
07. Ravel: Alborada del gracioso (from Miroirs)
08. Massenet: Crépuscule (from Poëme pastoral)
Chabrier: Pièces pittoresques
09. II. Mélancolie
10. Poulenc: Mélancolie
11. Poulenc: Nocturne No. 4 in C minor ‘Bal fantôme’
12. Poulenc: Improvisation No 8 in A minor, FP63 No 8
Chaminade: Études de Concert, Op. 35
13. II. Automne
Alkan: 25 Préludes, Op 31
14. VIII. La chanson de la folle au bord de la mer
15. Debussy: Suite bergamasque: Clair de lune
16. Delibes: Pizzicati (from Sylvia)
17. Liszt: Réminiscences de La juive – Fantaisie brillante sur des motifs de l’opéra de Halévy, S409a
Exquis! Stephen Hough presents an enchanting programme of French music, played with the filigree perfection and total command of the music’s expressive world that make him one of the most admired pianists of today. In typical Houghian style this recital is full of surprises and lesser-known gems from the repertoire, as well as works by the masters Fauré, Ravel, Debussy and Poulenc. A particular delight is Hough’s own arrangement of the Massenet song Crépuscule, a ravishing exercise in creative yet faithful transcription. This release is both a tribute to the lyric genius which flowered in nineteenth- and twentieth-century France, and a glimpse into the musical mind of a great pianist.