Ravel: A la manière de Chabrier

From the poetry of Debussy to the nostalgia of Ravel, from the humour of Satie to the insouciance of Poulenc, the French music of the early decades of the twentieth century was created by fine minds capable of grasping delicate nuances, infinite variations of light on the natural world and the human soul. From the gentlest im pressionism to the most outrageous surrealism, the pathways of French music are many and varied - and immensely colourful.

Dedicated to the memory of Brigitte Engerer.

Alice Ader’s first Debussy disc (Erato) won all the awards in the specialist press on its release twenty years ago and is still regarded as an unequalled benchmark. Now this unconventional pianist at last unveils her recording of the complete Ravel piano works.

And what better moment could there be than Debussy Year to present these two hours or so of music in dialogue, en Miroirs as it were, with the oeuvre of ‘Claude de France’? Ravel, the hot-blooded Swiss watchmaker, the discreet Lisztian, the mediocre pianist who made such extreme demands on his colleagues, the man of so many sublime paradoxes, deserves only the finest interpreters: those who take the time to explore his deepest recesses. Alice Ader, light-years away from the flashy gestures often encountered in this music, takes us to the very heart of one of the most secretive composers of his time.

“this is beautifully detailed playing throughout. And a fine balance of just that clarity and colour, elegance and lyricism, that I was talking about right at the beginning. That’s why, of these three excellent new recordings, this is the one I would personally buy.” BBC R3 CD Review

The music of Chabrier is an “inexhaustible treasure”, so said Francis Poulenc.

The pianist Emmanuel Strosser studied at the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in the classes of Jean-Claude Pennetier and Christian Ivaldi, with further study under Leon Fleisher and Maria João Pires. Laureate of the Florence Chamber Music Competition and finalist in the Clara Haskil, he has since pursued a career as a soloist or in chamber music in major festivals, including the Roque d’Anthéron and Evian. His recordings have been acclaimed by critics, with a Choc du Monde de la Musique for his recording of Beethoven sonatas with Assaï.