Samson Francois - Plays Chopin, Liszt, Debussy and Ravel (2014)

Samson François was one of France’s most provocative and enigmatic pianists. He has long been accorded near mythic status. Chopin sounds in the hands of Samson François unique and very individual, performed with a freedom from the classic constraints of most Chopin performances. This CD contains a surviving live recorded recital in Compiègne, France in 1954. None of these radio performances have been published before.


Tracks:

1. CHOPIN: Ballade No.4 in F minor, Op.52 [10:57]
2. CHOPIN: Impromptu No.1 in A-flat Major, Op.29 [03:41]
3. CHOPIN: Nocturne No.2 in E-flat Major, Op.9 [04:32]
4. CHOPIN: Waltz in D-flat Major, Op.70, No.3 [01:46]
5. CHOPIN: Waltz in C-sharp minor, Op.64, No.3 [03:21]
6-8. CHOPIN: Piano Sonata No.2 in B-flat minor, Op.35 [28:14]
9. LISZT: Le rossignol, HS.250/1 [04:20]
10. LISZT: Hungarian Rhapsody No.6 in D-flat Major, HS.244 [07:09]
Recorded · 1954 · Compiègne · Le Portique · Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française · Live Recording

11. DEBUSSY: Clair de lune, Suite bergamasque, L.75 [04:40]
12. DEBUSSY: Étude No.11 ‘Pour les arpèges composés’, Livre II, L.136 [05:04]
13. DEBUSSY: Toccata, Pour le Piano, L.95 [04:01]
14. RAVEL: Le Gibet, Gaspard de la nuit [05:41]
15. RAVEL: Scarbo, Gaspard de la nuit [08:30]
Recorded · 05 October 1953 · Paris · Pianistes de France · Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française · Radio Studio Recording