Flavio Varani - Paul Paray - Seven Piano Pieces (2022)

Here was new ground to break: various types of piano pieces representing different styles, forms, and compositional techniques. It seemed obvious to me that Paul Paray, as a young composer, was searching for his own voice, utilizing this medium. Perusing the many descriptive titles, forms and variations, one is made aware of Paray’s vast emotional resources. One detects a respect for Fauré but without any direct imitation. Paray’s music is very French in character with occasional echoes from the middle ages. At times it reminds me one of the paintings of Dante Gabriel Rossetti or of the angelic rosy cheeks in late-renaissance paintings. He experiments with impressionism (Sur la mer), with the tongue-and-cheek humor of Chabrier (Allegro), but always retaining a certain purity of thought. To listen to these youthful works is a certain challenge to the listener because there are no exact precedents to them. My curiosity was soon converted to enthusiasm in discovering an ignored composer of such high quality. Penetrating into Paul Paray’s musical world is to believe in the ennobling capacity of a life devoted to the art of music.