French Piano Works, Vol 2

Welcome reminders of a fine pianist always hungry for new repertoire

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Henry Desmarets, Jean-Baptiste Lully, King of France Louis XIII, Francis Poulenc, Camille Saint-Saëns, Erik Satie, Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Pierre Yves Petit, Claude Debussy, Maurice Ravel, Olivier Messiaen, Pierre Joseph Candeille, Pierre Boulez, Gabriel Fauré, Franz Liszt, Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Jean-Philippe Rameau, King of France Louis XV, Michel Pignolet de Montéclair

Genre:

Instrumental

Label: Piano 21

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 136

Mastering:

Stereo
ADD

Catalogue Number: P21024

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Tu crois, ô beau soleil King of France Louis XIII, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
King of France Louis XIII, Composer
Te Deum, Movement: Prélude Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Marc-Antoine Charpentier, Composer
Pièces de clavecin, Movement: Tambourin Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
Pièces de clavecin, Movement: Les cyclopes Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Philippe Rameau, Composer
(Les) Festes de l'été Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Michel Pignolet de Montéclair, Composer
Circé Henry Desmarets, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Henry Desmarets, Composer
(Le) Bourgeois gentilhomme, Movement: Menuet Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Phaëton, Movement: Bourrée Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
(Les) Noces de Village, 'A Village Wedding' Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Gavotte en rondeau, 'Des Ballets du Roy' Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jean-Baptiste Lully, Composer
(La) Provençale Pierre Joseph Candeille, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pierre Joseph Candeille, Composer
(La) 4ème Tête ou la Fanfare du Roi King of France Louis XV, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
King of France Louis XV, Composer
(La) Marseillaise Franz Liszt, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Franz Liszt, Composer
Pelléas et Mélisande, Movement: Sicilienne Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
(3) Songs, Movement: No. 1, Après un rêve (wds. anon, trans Bussine Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Thaïs, Movement: Méditation Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Jules (Emile Frédéric) Massenet, Composer
(Le) Carnaval des animaux, 'Carnival of the Animals', Movement: The swan Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Camille Saint-Saëns, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Suite bergamasque, Movement: Clair de lune Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
(6) Epigraphes antiques Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pour le piano, Movement: Sarabande Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Children's Corner, Movement: Golliwog's cakewalk Claude Debussy, Composer
Claude Debussy, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pavane pour une infante défunte Maurice Ravel, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
Miroirs, Movement: Alborada del gracioso Maurice Ravel, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
(Les) Chemins de l'amour Francis Poulenc, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Villageoises Francis Poulenc, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Francis Poulenc, Composer
(15) Improvisations, Movement: No. 15 in C minor, Hommage à Edith Piaf Francis Poulenc, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Francis Poulenc, Composer
Bois de Boulogne Pierre Yves Petit, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pierre Yves Petit, Composer
(6) Gnossiennes, Movement: No. 1 (1890) Erik Satie, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Erik Satie, Composer
Sonneries de la Rose + Croix, Movement: Air du Grand Prieur Erik Satie, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Erik Satie, Composer
(20) Regards sur l'enfant Jésus, Movement: Regard de l'Eglise d'amour Olivier Messiaen, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Olivier Messiaen, Composer
(12) Notations, Movement: Rhythmique Pierre Boulez, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pierre Boulez, Composer
(12) Notations, Movement: Doux et improvisé Pierre Boulez, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pierre Boulez, Composer
(12) Notations, Movement: Lointain - Calme Pierre Boulez, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Pierre Boulez, Composer

Composer or Director: Edvard Grieg

Genre:

Orchestral

Label: Piano 21

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 75

Mastering:

Stereo
DDD

Catalogue Number: P21028

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Concerto for Piano and Orchestra Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Horst Neumann, Conductor
Leipzig Radio Symphony Orchestra
Peer Gynt Suite No. 1, Movement: Morning Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Stimmungen, Movement: Study: Homage to Chopin Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 1, Movement: No. 1, Arietta Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 1, Movement: No. 5, Folksong (Folkevise) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 2, Movement: No. 2, Popular melody Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 2, Movement: No. 6, Elegy Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 4, Movement: No. 4, Norwegian dance (Halling) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 4, Movement: No. 6, Spring dance Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 5, Movement: No. 3, March of the Trolls (Troldtog) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 5, Movement: No. 4, Nocturne Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 5, Movement: No. 5, Scherzo Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 1, Butterfly (Schmetterling) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 2, Lonely wanderer (Einsamer Wanderer) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 3, In my native land (In der Heimat) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 4, Little bird (Vöglein) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 5, Erotic (Erotik) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 3, Movement: No. 6, To the Spring (An den Frühling) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 10, Movement: No. 1, Once upon a time (Der var engang) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 10, Movement: No. 7, Remembrances (Efterklang) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 6, Movement: No. 6, Homesickness (Heimweh) Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Lyric Pieces, Book 4, Movement: No. 7, Elegy Edvard Grieg, Composer
Cyprien Katsaris, Piano
Edvard Grieg, Composer
Katsaris’s novel (and chronological) survey of French music on two discs is a compilation drawn from 11 different sources recorded between 1968 and 2001 with, inevitably, a corresponding number of different acoustics and instruments. This does not worry me but it may be of concern to those who expect uniform perfection. Three items, for example, are cited as “private recordings” which fall short of the professional engineering of the remaining 41 (but among these three, I should not like to be without the stunning account of Alborada del gracioso). Taken as a whole I found this a wonderfully entertaining programme with such novelties as piano versions of the Prélude from Charpentier’s Te Deum and the Méditation from Massenet’s Thaïs (highly effective). If Katsaris is inconsistent (his version of Liszt’s transcription of La Marseillaise is rhythmically unstable, Clair de lune too rhapsodic), at least his playing has the stamp of an engaging and original personality.

The Grieg disc, compiled in a similar manner, uses mainly radio recordings (1975-2001) with just two of the 18 Lyric Pieces derived from private recordings. Both these, in contrast to the French disc, should possibly have been omitted for “Notturno” is especially insensitive and “In My Native Country” suffers from uncomfortably distorted sound. A shame, because for the most part, this selection is winningly played – touchingly graceful in “Arietta”, for instance, sprightly and robust in “March of the Dwarfs”.

Beginning with a (live) spirited, fresh account of the Concerto – the slow movement is spellbinding – Katsaris follows this with “Morgenstimmung” from the first Peer Gynt Suite. Although many of us will have the piano score, few will recall it being played in concert, a further example of this pianist’s omnivorous appetite for the unconventional and willingness to step outside the normal keyboard repertoire.

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