Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano, Capriccio, Movements & Petrushka Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Yan Pascal Tortelier, São Paulo Symphony Orchestra

• Igor Stravinsky (1882 - 1971): Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments:
• 1Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments: I. Largo - Allegro07:23
• 2Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments: II. Largo06:23
• 3Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments: III. Allegro04:58
• Capriccio:
• 4Stravinsky: Capriccio: I. Presto (1949 Revision)06:38
• 5Stravinsky: Capriccio: II. Andante rapsodico (1949 Revision)04:50
• 6Stravinsky: Capriccio: III. Allegro capriccioso ma tempo giusto (1949 Revision)05:37
• Movements:
• 7Stravinsky: Movements: I. Semi-quaver = 11002:56
• 8Stravinsky: Movements: II. Crotchet = 5201:17
• 9Stravinsky: Movements: III. Semi-quaver = 7201:05
• 10Stravinsky: Movements: IV. Semi-quaver = 8001:57
• 11Stravinsky: Movements: V. Semi-quaver = 10402:12
• Petrushka, Tableau:
• 12Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau I: The Shrovetide Fair05:29
• 13Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau I: The Magic Trick01:37
• 14Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau I: Russian Dance02:50
• 15Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau II: Petrushka's Room04:15
• 16Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau III: The Moor's Room03:20
• 17Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau III: Waltz03:19
• 18Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: The Shrovetide Fair and the Death of Petrushka01:06
• 19Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Wet Nurses' Dance02:35
• 20Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Pesant and Bear01:27
• 21Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Dance of the Gipsy Girls01:09
• 22Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Dance of the Coachmen and Ostlers02:06
• 23Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: The Masqueraders01:33
• 24Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: The Scuffle00:46
• 25Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Death of Petrushka00:43
• 26Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Police and the Juggler01:06
• 27Stravinsky: Petrushka, Tableau IV: Apparition of Petrushka's Double00:48
• Total Runtime01:19:25

Info for Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano, Capriccio, Movements & Petrushka

After having won the Gramophone Award in 2014 for his recording of Prokofiev’s five piano concertos, exclusive Chandos artist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet here explores the complete works for piano and orchestra of another Russian composer of the twentieth century: Igor Stravinsky.

Bartók’s Piano Concerto No. 2, Ravel’s Piano Concerto for the left hand, and Stravinsky’s Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra make good company. First, Bavouzet considers them ‘the greatest concertos of the twentieth century’. Furthermore, he has recorded all of them with Chandos. Last, but not least, his recordings of both Bartók’s (CHAN 10610) and Ravel’s (CHSA 5084) were shortlisted for Gramophone Awards in 2011 (‘Concerto’ category). The winner? The latter, which marked the first collaboration between Jean-Efflam Bavouzet and Yan Pascal Tortelier, one that is resumed on the present album.

It starts with the crisp games with rhythms, polyphony, and classical form of the expressive, weighty Concerto for Piano and Wind Orchestra. Then the Capriccio is a piece that Stravinsky composed as a repertoire alternative to his concerto; he performed it more than forty times in the first four years after its creation. The anti-tonal, twelve-tone idiom of Movements represents Stravinsky’s experiments in the use of serial techniques.

Pétrouchka is a work for piano and orchestra as well, except that the piano here is not a solo instrument but rather part of the orchestral fabric. Moreover, Bavouzet himself has described blending in with the fortissimos of the orchestra as ‘one of the best musical experiences of my life’.

“… Chandos couples Stravinsky’s three familiar concertante works with a sensational Petrushka – Bavouzet seemingly revelling in an unfamiliar role as ‘orchestral’ pianist!. Best of all is the late Movements, which has never sound less dry and more enticing. Superb recorded sound.” (Guy Weatherall, Classical Music magazine)

"... joined by a very much on-form São Paulo Symphony Orchestra under the suave, alert direction of Yan Pascal Tortelier, he again demonstrates his affinity for genuine orchestral collaboration Capriccio is also pure delight, Bavouzet’s playing shot through with a sparkling lyricism that he even manages to inject into the 12-tone Movements. And if the piano in Pétrouchka is merely a member of the orchestra, Bavouzet nevertheless relishes his role in contributing to one of the tightest yet most theatrically lavish performances of this work committed to disc in a long time. Chandos’s sound is appropriately bright and detailed." (Will Yeoman, Limelight magazine)

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, piano
São Paulo Symphony Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Jean-Efflam Bavouzet

French pianist Jean-Efflam Bavouzet combines a rare elegance and clarity in his playing with deep and thoughtful musicality, for which he continues to win the highest acclaim from both critics and audiences.

Recent engagements for Bavouzet have included appearances with the London Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland and Philharmonia orchestras, and the New Japan Philharmonic. He also premiered Bruno Mantovani’s Piano Concerto with Orchestre National de Lille.

Highlights of his 2010/11 season include performances with Philharmonia and BBC Symphony orchestras and make debut appearances with the London Philharmonic and City of Birmingham Symphony orchestras, and the Sydney Symphony with Vladimir Ashkenazy. In spring 2011 he will tour the US with the Orchestre National de France and Daniele Gatti.

An exclusive Chandos recording artist, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet’s discography includes a cycle of Debussy’s complete works for piano, which has been recognised by many international awards, not least of which a Gramophone and a BBC Music Magazine awards in 2009. His most recently released recording of Bartók’s Piano Concertos with the BBC Philharmonic has already received great acclaim.

Booklet for Stravinsky: Concerto for Piano, Capriccio, Movements & Petrushka