Charles Owen, Katya Apekisheva - Poulenc, Debussy & Milhaud: Works for 2 Pianos (2023) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Scaramouche, Op. 165b: I. Vif
02. Scaramouche, Op. 165b: II. Modéré
03. Scaramouche, Op. 165b: III. Brazileira
04. Capriccio, FP 155 (After Le bal masqué, FP 60)
05. Sonata for Piano 4 Hands, FP 8: I. Prelude
06. Sonata for Piano 4 Hands, FP 8: II. Rustique
07. Sonata for Piano 4 Hands, FP 8: III. Final
08. Élégie for 2 Pianos, FP 175
09. Sonata for 2 Pianos, FP 156: I. Prologue
10. Sonata for 2 Pianos, FP 156: II. Allegro molto
11. Sonata for 2 Pianos, FP 156: III. Andante lirico
12. Sonata for 2 Pianos, FP 156: IV. Épilogue
13. L'embarquement pour Cythère, FP 150
14. Nocturnes, L. 91 (Arr. for 2 Pianos by Maurice Ravel): No. 1, Nuages
15. Nocturnes, L. 91 (Arr. for 2 Pianos by Maurice Ravel): No. 2, Fêtes
16. Nocturnes, L. 91 (Arr. for 2 Pianos by Maurice Ravel): No. 3, Sirènes



"Charles Owen and Katya Apekisheva perform a stunning selection of French 20th-century music for piano four hands. Both Milhaud and Poulenc were members of Les Six, a band of composers who specialised in producing colourful, quirky and highly original scores. Milhaud’s Scaramouche epitomises the wit and joie de vivre of this approach and has become one of his most popular works – although at the time the composer nearly forbade its publication. Poulenc combined grace and sparkling humour with a nobility that reflected his desire for a ‘return to simplicity’. His Élégie was written ‘as if improvising with a cigar in your mouth and a glass of cognac on the table’, while the Sonata for Four Hands is full of finger-crossing intricacies, and at the heart of the Sonata for Two Pianos is an Andantino described by the composer as ‘a lyrical, profound outburst… It is piano without pretence, real piano where each instrument converses with the other in perfect understanding and without interrupting.’ Debussy’s evocative Nocturnes arranged by Ravel conclude the release."

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