Search - Francois-Rene Duchable :: Works By Chopin, Liszt, Berlioz, Saint-Saens, Dukas

A major find in terms of performance, repertoire & sound

09/09/1998

(5 out of 5 stars)

"i overheard this collection in the fnac/lyons in france and was immediately taken with the sound. recorded primarily in the 1970s, this is a collection of romantic solo piano repertoire, some of it quite rare, by a pianist who's vastly underrated in the us. the sound, i discovered, is not only a matter of emi's excellent recording, but also duchable's rare, among contemporary pianists, command and use of rubato and pedal technique. for aficianados of french piano style, he's very much the successor to the mantle of alfred cortot. you can gauge his expertise by listening to the oft-recorded chopin pieces. i think it's some of the most listenable chopin since rubenstein's heyday. and the lesser-known pieces, such as liszt's knuckle-busting transcription of berlioz's symphonie fantastique, are great fun. if you care for piano, relish good piano recordings, the piano being the most difficult instrument to capture well, and enjoy discovering lesser-known artists, this 3-cd box, for little more than the price of one cd, is a revelatory bargain. NOTE: the us title of this box is very misleading! it contains much chopin, liszt, as well as french composers such as saint-saens and chabrier."