The Complete Etudes
$30.00
Out of Stock2-4 weeks add to cart
SAINT-SAENS
The Complete Etudes
Piers Lane (piano)
[ Hyperion / CD ]
Release Date: Sunday 3 April 2005
This item is currently out of stock. We expect to be able to supply it to you within 2 - 4 weeks from when you place your order.
'Lively and sensitive performances make this a fine addition to the Saint-Saëns discography, aided by the pianist's own excellent annotations and Hyperion's usual peerless sound'
- Fanfare, USA
'Piers Lane plays with a blend of grace and expertise which makes light of the many challenges offered by music which tests any artist to the full. Every bar is sheer delight'
- Musical Opinion
It is a bit of a mystery why Saint-Saëns's enjoyable Études are not better known. Perhaps it is their extreme awkwardness which deters pianists - these works are prime examples of a peculiarly French school of finger technique which requires absolute independence and equality for each digit, making no concession whatsoever to the weaker fingers or the shape of the hand.
The Opp 52 and 111 sets of Études each end with a barn-storming show-stopper, 'En forme de Valse' and 'Toccata d'après le 5e Concerto' respectively. The left-hand Études are perhaps less demanding, but nonetheless require a particular clarity and precision, being in essence a pastiche Baroque suite.
The Thème Varié, fundamentally a compendium of pianistic challenges, was written as a test piece for the Paris Conservatoire.
Tracks:
Six Études Op 52 [24'43]
No 1 Prélude: Con bravura [1'57]
No 2 Pour l'indépendence des doigts: Andantino malinconico [2'39]
No 3 Prélude at Fugue en fa mineur [3'55]
Prélude: Allegro [2'09]
Fugue: Animato [1'46]
No 4 Étude de rythme: Andantino [3'07]
No 5 Prélude et Fugue en la mineur [6'29]
Prélude: Allegro moderato [2'24]
Fugue: Moderato [4'04]
No 6 En forme de Valse: Mouvement de Valse [6'17]
Six Études Op 111 [21'19]
No 1 Tierces majeures et mineures: Allegretto [2'18]
No 2 Traits chromatiques: Allegretto [2'28]
No 3 Prélude et Fugue [5'34]
Prélude: Moderato agitato [1'26]
Fugue: Moderato espressivo [4'08]
No 4 Les cloches de Las Palmas: Andantino [4'22]
No 5 Tierces majeures chromatiques: Vivace [2'15]
No 6 Toccata d'après le 5e Concerto: Molto allegro [4'10]
Six Études pour la main gauche seule Op 135 [18'10]
No 1 Prélude: Allegretto moderato [2'11]
No 2 Alla fuga: Allegro non troppo [2'02]
No 3 Poto perpetuo: Allegretto - doux et tranquille [1'55]
No 4 Bourrée: Molto allegro [3'39]
No 5 Élégie: Poco adagio [6'34]
No 6 Gigue: Presto [1'42]
Thème Varié Op 97 [7'03]
