Four Hands for France: Music for Piano Duet
Playing four-hands piano was both vital in the dissemination of music in the nineteenth century and also a popular domestic activity. The French composers recorded here span the Romantic century, from the salon charm of Chaminade and Massenet and the virtuosity of Alkan’s wild dance to the innocence of the family music-room in pieces by Chausson, Godard and Ropartz. The original 1853 Parisian Erard piano on which this recording was made combines warmth with bell-like clarity due to its straight stringing, allowing it to produce a surprising variety of appealing, expressive textures.
Stephanie McCallum (primo) and Erin Helyard (secondo)
Piano Erard 1853
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ERNEST CHAUSSON
- I Gaîment Audio Player
- II Andante Audio Player
- III Finale
- I Mouvement de marche Audio Player
- II Variations sur un thème danois, transcrit par Niels Gade Audio Player
- III Rondeau
- No. 1 Andante Audio Player
- No. 2 Lento Audio Player
- No. 3 Allegretto Audio Player
- No. 4 L’Angelus Audio Player
- No. 5 Le Glas Audio Player
- No. 6 Cloches du Soir Audio Player
- No. 7 Choral Audio Player
- No. 8 Tristesse Audio Player
- No. 9 Intimité Audio Player
- No. 10 Par les Champs
- No. 1 Andante Audio Player
- No. 2 Allegretto quasi allegro Audio Player
- No. 3 Andante
- Saltarelle, Op. 47
- No. 1 Primavera Audio Player
- No. 2 Idylle Arabe Audio Player
- No. 3 Sérénade d’automne
- No. 1 Pastorale mélancolique Audio Player
- No. 2 Marche villageoise
Sonatines pour quatre mains, Op. 2 (1879)*
Sonatine No. 1 in G major (1878)
Audio Player
Sonatine No. 2 in D minor (1879)
Audio Player
GUY ROPARTZ
Petites Pièces (1903)*
Audio Player
JULES MASSENET
Pièces pour le Piano à 4 Mains: 1re Suite, Op. 11 (1867)*
Audio Player
CHARLES-VALENTIN ALKAN
Saltarelle, Op. 47 (1856)
Audio Player
CÉCILE CHAMINADE
Pièces romantiques, Op. 55 (1890)
Audio Player
BENJAMIN GODARD
Deux morceaux, Op. 137 (1893)*
Audio Player
* FIRST RECORDINGS
MusicWeb International :
‘The only word for the performances of Stephanie McCallum and Erin Halyard is “perfection”. Stephanie McCallum has many 19th Century French discs to her credit, and her fellow Australian Erin Helyard has demonstrated expertise in a variety of musical spheres, including his duo with Ms. McCallum. In terms of musicianship, coordination of performance, and sympathy for the repertoire, this recording is a stand-out and I can easily imagine the composers themselves applauding it if they were here today.’
—William Kreindler, MusicWeb International