NHK Symphony Orchestra, Kazuki Yamada - Roussel - Bartók - Ravel - Debussy (2026) [Hi-Res]

Tracklist

01. Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43: Suite No. 1
02. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major, Sz. 119: I. Allegretto
03. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major, Sz. 119: II. Adagio religioso
04. Piano Concerto No. 3 in E Major, Sz. 119: III. Allegro vivace
05. Wachet auf, ruft uns die Stimme, BWV 645 (Arr. for Piano by Wilhelm Kempff)
06. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): I. Modéré, très franc
07. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): II. Assez lent, avec une expression intense
08. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): III. Modéré
09. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): IV. Assez animé
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): V. Presque lent, dans un sentiment intime
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): VI. Vif
12. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): VII. Moins vif
13. Valses nobles et sentimentales, M. 61 (Version for Orchestra): VIII. Épilogue. Lent
14. Images pour orchestre, L. 122: IIa. Ibéria. Par les rues et les chemins
15. Images pour orchestre, L. 122: IIb. Ibéria. Les parfums de la nuit
16. Images pour orchestre, L. 122: IIc. Ibéria. Le matin d'un jour de fête

This live recording of a concert given in Tokyo in November 2024 kicks off with a spikily rhythmic account of Suite No. 1 from Roussel’s ballet Bacchus et Ariane. Conductor Kazuki Yamada achieves a punchy sound with finely detailed string and woodwind playing alongside impactful outbursts of percussion.

For Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 3, Yamada is joined by the Swiss-Italian pianist Francesco Piemontesi. Piemontesi’s crisp pointing of the opening phrases, and the gleaming trills which follow, are typical of the classy, fluid pianism he brings to bear throughout. He is specially effective in the slow movement, where his transparent tone-palette adds a touching sense of poignancy to Bartók’s leanly etched textures.

Two pieces by French masters conclude the album. Yamada’s stylish account of Ravel’s Valses nobles et sentimentales has a suitable mix of élan and elegance, while Debussy’s Images are exuberantly dispatched by a buoyant NHK Symphony Orchestra.