Jean-Philippe Collard - Fauri: 13 Barcarolles, Ballade Op.19 - COMPACT DISCS [CD]

A unique achievement in Jean-Philippe Collard's discography, this piano programme devoted to Busoni's transcriptions of Bach's organ works is the result of a deep desire and represents a great accomplishment. Jean-Philippe Collard has been driven by three objectives to immerse himself in Bach's organ music, to which he has always been attached; to reconnect this passion back to a youth nourished by the great sacred works of the Cantor; and to pay tribute to his musician father, who instilled this culture in him and continues to inspire him today. There is also the ambition of creating an innovative project, outside of the repertoires that have established his talent, following some sixty recordings, and at the height of an artistic career that calls for a form of synthesis, not of his career, but of a family history with the piano, of which Bach seems to him to be the greatest common denominator. The accomplishment is therefore multifaceted.Firstly, it is a sound that fully satisfies the performer, whose memories of organ works are enhanced by the breadth they acquire on the piano thanks to Busoni. It also embodies the very idea of recording itself, to which this extraordinary pianistic material gives, more than anything else, it's justification, according to Jean-Philippe Collard. For him, it is still a matter of perfecting the pianistic gesture, through an almost physiological notion of harmony between the writing and the music that is etched into the hand. Finally, it is the pianistic skill that this programme displays, serving the pleasure of a sound craftsman who feels that he has come full circle. What more could one ask for, he ponders. Borrowing from organ terminology, the expression 'full organ' here symbolically expresses the notion of plenitude and the magnitude of a total pianistic undertaking.

Fauré Piano, Chamber Music, Orchestral & Requiem TITLE Fauré Piano Works & Chamber Music (9CD) - Gabriel Fauré, whose long and influential life spanned the eras of romanticism and early modernism, enriched a diversity of genres with music of proverbial subtlety. It tantalises and captivates the listener with it's discreet beauty and it's highly personal language and expression. His works are performed in this collection by an array of artists whose credentials in French repertoire are beyond question.

Scriabin, the creator of unique sound worlds, initially followed in the footsteps of Chopin. Jean-Philippe Collard explores this Romantic vein by shedding new light on his Piano Concerto, a delicate piece but by no means devoid of passion, which he juxtaposes with Rimsky-Korsakov's Concerto. These two works from the Russian repertory are still neglected today, yet they possess irresistible charm and freshness.