Angela Hewitt – Piano Music by Emmanuel Chabrier (2006) [SACD / Hyperion – SACDA67515]

Title: Angela Hewitt – Piano Music by Emmanuel Chabrier (2006)
Genre: Classical
Format: MCH SACD ISO + DSF DSD64 + Hi-Res FLAC

Angela Hewitt, renowned for her masterful Bach, Chopin, Couperin, Messiaen, and Ravel recordings on Hyperion, brings her technical polish and expressive depth to Emmanuel Chabrier’s keyboard works in a 2004 release, delivering colorful, idiomatic performances of late nineteenth-century miniatures. While Chabrier’s music ranges from sophisticated pieces like Aubade, Habanera, and Bourrée fantasque to the charming posthumous Ballabile, Caprice, and Feuillet d’album, the Dix pièces pittoresques and earlier Impromptu and Ronde champêtre often lean toward trite, superficial salon fare with occasional hints of Ravel-like innovation. Hewitt’s sensitivity and skill elevate these works, making them sound more compelling than their sometimes shallow nature might warrant, though her choice of repertoire may not thrill fans as much as her usual selections. Hyperion’s sublime recording quality perfectly showcases Hewitt’s brilliance and panache, cementing her status as a leading interpreter despite the mixed appeal of Chabrier’s compositions.

hraudio | allmusic | discogs

Tracklist:

01. Impromptu, for piano in C major
02. Pièces posthumes (5), for piano: Ronde champêtre
03. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Paysage
04. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Mélancolie
05. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Tourbillon
06. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Sous-bois
07. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Mauresque
08. PiÃ..ces pittoresques (10), for piano: Idylle
09. PiÃ..ces pittoresques (10), for piano: Dans villageoise
10. PiÃ..ces pittoresques (10), for piano: Improvisation
11. PiÃ..ces pittoresques (10), for piano: Menuet pompeux
12. Pièces pittoresques (10), for piano: Scherzo-valse
13. Pièces posthumes (5), for piano: Aubade
14. Pièces posthumes (5), for piano: Ballabile
15. Pièces posthumes (5), for piano: Caprice
16. Pièces posthumes (5), for piano: Feuillet d’album
17. Habañera, for piano (or orchestra)
18. Bourrée fantasque, for piano (also for orchestra)

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