The Bottom Line
This album is chock-full of great French piano music created by composers somewhat overshadowed by Debussy and Ravel. If you're looking to add a new piano cd to your collection, look no further.
Pros
- Wonderful works by lesser-known French composers
- Unique story behind the music
- Fantastic performance by David Korevaar
Cons
- Though a pro for me, for some of you, lesser known composers can be a bad thing
Description
- Released 2007, Koch International Classics
- 1 Disk, 16 Tracks
- Total Play Time: 1 Hour
Guide Review - The Ricardo Vines Collection - David Korevaar, piano
The story of Ricardo Viñes and this music is rather interesting. Ricardo Viñes was an extremely popular and esteemed pianist. Born in 1875 in Spain, Viñes later moved to the Paris Conservatory to study in 1887. While there, he became close friends with Maurice Ravel. Together they formed a circle of musicians, artists, and writers which later included Igor Stravinsky. Viñes would perform and premiere many of these composers works. As a result, his fame grew greater than the composers themselves. As time progressed, the music presented by Viñes became praised and exulted. "Whatever he deemed worthy to perform surely must be great" became the mindset of the public.
The University of Colorado at Boulder purchased the Ricardo Viñes music collection, consisting of over 800 scores, from the Viñes family in 1954. Many of the scores, including the ones on this album, contain the original notes and markings made by Viñes himself.
On this album you'll find works by Louis Aubert, Jean Roger-Ducasse, Henry Woollett, Vincent d'Indy, and Henry Fevrier. Each with their own unique style of composition, yet all contain melodic passages and harmonic structures synonymous with French piano music of the late 19th and early 20th century.
Top Tracks
- Sillages (sur Le Rivage) - Preview, Purchase and Download
- Six Preludes (tres Souple) - Preview, Purchase, and Download
- Schumanniana (assez Modere) - Preview, Purchase and Download
