All the pieces included here are by French composers who lived during the impressionist period. D’Indy’s Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français is a sort of hybrid work, a mixture of a symphony and a piano concerto.
This work enables the highly regarded Martin Helmchen to demonstrate his musical and technical skills once again.
“The luminous orchestral palettre of d'Indy's Symphonie sur un chant montagnard francais is beautifully defined here, with Martin Helmchen a scintillating partner in the piano solo, and Chausson's Soir de fete is given with due rapture and instrumental glow. This is an imaginative programme, performed with panache.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011
“Janowski and his rejuvenated orchestra ensure that elegant phrasing, transparent textures and a balletic rhythmic awareness generate colour and atmosphere without overload. No profound hidden agendas, just a vital, smiling realization of unpretentious music beautifully crafted for enjoyment by audience and performers alike.” International Record Review, January 2012
“A full-blooded approach lends impetus to Chausson’s Soir de fête, and Saint-Saëns’s Second Symphony achieves cohesion through Marek Janowski’s conducting and the orchestra’s playing.” The Telegraph, 27th October 2011
