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Le Piano Français - Virtuoso Piano Concertos by Rivier, Casadesus, Wiener, Casterede
Posted by Paul Ballyk on Mar 12, 2014 in Modern | 0 comments
Guild Records has been proving their pudding of late by releasing exceptionally fine yet little known repertoire in quintessential performances. They do so again with 'Le Piano Français'. Pianist Timon Altwegg with conductor Gilles Colliard and the Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse present four works by 20th century French composers, all of which, in all likelihood, are not yet in your collection.
During the 19th century, French composers held to certain stylistic preferences that distinguished their music from their German contemporaries. Although not easy to define concisely, the differences in part grew from the French predilection for opera and ballet over concert music - symphonies and concertos for example, coming from Germany. One genre that gained popularity in France during the last couple of decades of the 19th century, and remained popular well into the 20th, was works of a concertante style. In many respects, these pieces were concertos, but free of the structural 'rules' that defined the genre outside France. Composers who carried this tradition through the beginning of the 20th century included Darius Milhaud, Arthur Honegger and Francis Poulenc.
The program of this CD shows the concertante form alive and well a generation after the aforementioned composers with four diverse works for piano and string orchestra. The composers are Jean Rivier (1896-1987), Robert Casadesus (1899-1972), Jean Wiener (1896-1982), and - the youngest of the group born in 1926 - Jacques Castérède. The first two pieces, Concerto Brève by Jean Rivier and Capriccio Op. 49 by renowned concert pianist Robert Casadesus, share similar sound spheres, which in turn overlap with those of Prokofiev and Ravel. In the outer movements, melodic material can be sparse and angular, and rhythmic patterns disjointed, at times polymetric. Both works have rather haunting slow movements; the Rivier wades forward like a dirge, and the Casadesus drifts along in a mysterious timelessness. This last mentioned Casadesus movement is the first of two samples you'll find available in the right sidebar of this page.
Jean Wiener's Piano Concerto No. 1 "Franco Americain" is the lightest and most broadly appealing work of the four. The opening movement is bright and sunny, the second, lush and lyrical with a jazzy, Gershwinesque touch. The finale returns to the high-spirits of the opening movement where an unsophisticated, almost carnival atmosphere can be felt. The Castérède Concerto for piano and string orchestra, colored by overtones of Messiaen, Stravinsky and Bartók, is the darkest of the four works and, in the end, is probably my favorite. The Scherzo from this piece is the second sample in the video on the right.
All four works are tonal, melodic, and clearly written to be enjoyed, which I found easy to do.
This is a unique and valuable collection of delightful works by French composers of the first half of the 20th-century for piano and string orchestra, presenting excellent performances by the very gifted pianist Timon Altwegg and the famous Toulouse Chamber Orchestra under Gilles Colliard. These are brand-new recordings in state-of-the-art sound and the presentation is first-class.
Source: GuildMusic.com
 Jean Rivier, composer |
Jean Rivier “Jean Rivier (1896-1987), a twentieth-century French composer of the neo-classical school, is remembered primarily for his flute compositions. However, this prolific composer was extremely active in French musical circles from the period after World War I until his death. He composed over two hundred works, including symphonies, chamber music, concertos, choral music, piano works, music for solo instruments, and accompanied songs. Rivier’s songs are best represented by his twenty-nine published melodies or poemes, notable for their brevity, attention to detail, and their lyrical melodies, tonal harmonies with creative dissonances, and carefully structured forms (especially ABA forms).” |
 Robert Casadesus, composer |
Robert Casadesus In a career spanning 50 years, Robert Casadesus built up an absolutely unique cultural heritage. 3,000 concerts, a considerable discography, a catalogue of 69 works, films and numerous educational speeches are signs of a great creative richness that now makes him considered one of the greatest French musicians of the 20th century. |
 Jean Wiener, composer |
Jean Wiener Wiener (or Wiéner) (19 March 1896, Paris – 8 June 1982, Paris) was a French pianist and composer. Wiener was trained at the Conservatoire in Paris, where he studied alongside Darius Milhaud, and worked with Erik Satie. He then embarked on a career as concert impresario, composer and pianist. His compositions involve the use of jazz informed by French wit and elegance. |
 Jacques Casterede, composer |
Jacques Castérède Castérède (b. 10 April 1926 Paris) is a French composer. He gained his baccalaureat in elementary mathematics, before he entered Paris National Conservatory of Music in 1944 and began studying piano under Armand Ferté, composition under Tony Aubin, analysis under Olivier Messiaen. His very many works, which include symphonies, concertos, ballets, ensemble and chamber music, are performed throughout France, Germany and Italy as well as in America and Canada. His music is essentially melodic, often using modal scales over rich and varied structures. |
 Timon Altwegg, piano |
Timon Altwegg After receiving his diploma of Musical Education in Zurich, Swiss pianist Timon Altwegg pursued his studies in London for two years with professor Alan Rowlands at the Royal College of Music. “Timon Altwegg counts among the few eminent authorities on the interpretation of 20th and 21st century music” - Süddeutsche Zeitung |
| Gilles Colliard, conductor |
Gilles Colliard Gilles Colliard is a multi-facetted musician, active as a soloist, orchestral conductor, composer and teacher. He was born in Switzerland and studied with Jean-Pierre Wallez at the Geneva Conservatory where he was awarded the Premier Prix de Virtuosité. http://guildmusic.com/shop/wbc.php?tpl=pdruck.html&pid=13648 |
| Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse - © Brice Devos |
Orchestre de Chambre de Toulouse In 1953, Louis Auriacombe gathered around him some musician friends to found the Chamber Orchestra of Toulouse. This is the beginning of a musical and human adventure, unbroken to this day despite many adventures, which will lead the orchestra on all continents to meet everyone. http://www.orchestredechambredetoulouse.fr/Histoire-de-l-O-C-T#haut |
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