French Piano Concertos / Various French Piano Concertos / Various CD

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-Sa?ns'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-Sa?ns'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-Sa?ns 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.

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. Concertst?ck 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 - Mod?r?ment Anim? 43. Symphony on a French Mountain Air, Op. 25: II. Assez Mod?r?, Mais Sans Lenteur 44. Symphony on a French Mountain Air, Op. 25: III. Anim? 45. Piano Concerto in E Major: I. Improvisation - Mod?r? 46. Piano Concerto in E Major: II. Danse 47. Piano Concerto in E Major: III. R?verie 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 ?tudes, Op. 63: I. Vif 77. 5 ?tudes, Op. 63: II. Doucement 78. 5 ?tudes, Op. 63: III. Fugues. Vif Et Rythm? 79. 5 ?tudes, Op. 63: IV. Sombre 80. 5 ?tudes, Op. 63: V. Romantique. TR?S Anim? 81. Piano Concerto No. 1, Op. 127: I. TR?S 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. Anim? 86. Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 225: II. Romance 87. Piano Concerto No. 2, Op. 225: III. Bien Mod?r?ment Anim? 88. Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 270: I. Alerte Et Avec ?l?gance 89. Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 270: II. Lent 90. Piano Concerto No. 3, Op. 270: III. Avec Esprit Et ?l?gance 91. Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 295: I. Anim? 92. Piano Concerto No. 4, Op. 295: II. TR?S 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 - Pi? 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 ? la Fran?aise. Presto Giocoso 102. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: I. Allegro Giocoso 103. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: II. Doppio Pi? Lento 104. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: III. Scherzando 105. Concerto for 2 Pianos and Orchestra: IV. Allegro Tieramente 106. Les Animaux Mod?les, FP 111: I. Le Petit Jour. TR?S Calme 107. Les Animaux Mod?les, FP 111: IV. Le Lion Amoureux. Passionn?ment Anim? 108. Les Animaux Mod?les, FP 111: V. L'homme Entre Deux ges Et Ses Deux Ma?tresses. Prestissimo 109. Les Animaux Mod?les, FP 111: VI. La Mort Et Le B?cheron. TR?S Lent 110. Les Animaux Mod?les, FP 111: VII. Les Deux Coqs. TR?S Mod?r? 111. Les Animaux Mod?les, 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