Recordings
DEBUSSY
12 études pour piano
Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien – Suite pour piano (Transcription André Caplet)
FOCUS
Philippe Bianconi offers a lucid, transparent reading, notable for its energy, of these key late works.Beyond the formidable technical, even experimental challenge they set, the Études – dedicated to Chopin, whom Debussy revered – are revealed under Bianconi’s fingers in all their poetry, rhythm and colour.The complement to the programme, Debussy’s last two piano pieces, like the suite from Le Martyre de saint Sébastien, show a different facet of his genius, spiritual, austere and poignant.BUY / STREAM
BRAHMS
Concertos for piano
Philharmonic Orchestra of Monté-Carlo
FOCUS
The music of Johannes Brahms requires from its performers a combination of ardour and intimacy, achieved to perfection in this recording of the two piano concertos with the French pianist Philippe Bianconi and the Polish conductor Michał Nesterowicz, directing the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo. Philippe Bianconi has mastered every expressive register of these two works, from the tragedy that sweeps through op.15 to the lyricism and poetry that emanate from op.83.
BUY / STREAM
SCHUMANN
Papillons op.2
Carnaval op.9
Davidsbündlertänze op.6FOCUS
Papillons, Carnaval,Davidsbündlertänze: the coupling of these three compositions corresponds to a deep ‘inner necessity’ in the French pianist. After magnificent incursions into Debussy and Chopin, he returns to Schumann, a composer particularly close to his heart. This programme matured in concert centres on the theme of doubles and masks and illuminates with exceptional poetic perception the secret connections that exist between three scores of highly individual character. A landmark in the discography.
BUY / STREAM
CHOPIN
Ballade no.1 in G minor, op.23
Ballade no.2 in F major, op.38
Prelude in C sharp minor, op.45
Ballade no.3 in A flat major, op.47
Ballade no.4 in F minor, op.52
Scherzo no.4 in E major, op.54
Barcarolle in F sharp major, op.60FOCUS
First of all, it was a foregone conclusion that Bianconi’s first Chopin disc would feature the ballades, given the place they’ve occupied for so long in my musical universe. He preferred to follow the ballades with an exploration of the later Chopin in the Fourth Scherzo and the Barcarolle. Chopin’s last years display an extraordinary evolution of his musical language, with a harmonic freedom and a refinement that look far into the future. Having recorded the complete Debussy Préludes for La Dolce Volta in 2012, Philippe Bianconi was all the more likely to be alive to the extent to which the music of Chopin opens up new perspectives and heralds the innovations of musical Impressionism. In what ways this immersion in the Debussyan universe has influenced his approach to Chopin. The great harmonic freedom Chopin discovered in the course of his career was the very foundation of the attitude of Debussy, who went on to emancipate the language of music. One can add to this point a shared love of colour, of the instrument, a physical rapport with the keyboard, which is always coaxed, never treated aggressively.
BUY / STREAM
DEBUSSY
Preludes (Book I & II)
FOCUS
“Debussy has always been part of my life” says the pianist about the composer so close to his heart ». Discophiles have been impatiently awaiting his recording of the towering Préludes, but Philippe Bianconi has taken his time before entering the studio to capture what he calls “the quintessence of Debussy’s art”. Beneath his fingertips, which conjugate a profound attention to detail with an irresistible poetic imagination, the art of Claude de France reveals all its riches and its startling modernity. The enchanting sonorities and the density of philippe bianconi’s interpretation make his new cd a major addition to the list of great versions of the Préludes, enhanced by the exceptional sound quality of the recording itself, to which the pianist has devoted particular attention.
BUY / STREAM