Maurice Emmanuel Piano Sonatines

Many years ago I received a request from the son of the composer Maurice Emmanuel to perform his Piano Sonatines. I duly learnt a couple and performed them, and very pleasant they are (if slightly forgettable, truth to tell). Emmanuel (1862 – 1938) studied at the Paris Conservatoire at the same time as Debussy, and in time became the teacher of music history to the great composers Olivier Messiaen and Henri Dutilleux. Emmanuel's works testify to a wide breadth of interests including folk music and Hindu chants. (French composer Jacques Charpentier's Etudes Karnatiques for piano are very interesting virtuoso piano works incorporating Indian modes – an uncommon interest –  perhaps an interest sparked by his teacher Messiaen, who in turn had been influenced by Emmanuel).

Anyway the purpose of this post is to say a big "Hat's Off!" to French pianist Laurent Wagschal who has recorded the Sonatines for Timpani label. 
I have never heard of Wagschal before, but his playing on YouTube is WONDERFUL! Such good sound. Such good fingers. Such supple technique. Also, Such a good piano, and Such good recording!
What a pleasure.
Whenever I am despairing of finding a living pianist whom I admire, one just pops up.
His playing reminds me of the sonorities and virtuosity of the wonderful blind French pianist Bernard D'Ascoli. 
Here is Wagschal's website
http://www.laurentwagschal.com/index.phpWagschal
You can buy the CD here (does anybody still buy CDs?)  http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Timpani/1C1194buy CD Emmanuel
Keep practising everybody!

Dutilleux and Piano technique

The other day I was in the library at Normal University in Shida. Great library! Anyway I was reading through a stack of books including Dutilleux and Benjamin Britten. Someone said something like: it's like you have the horse saddled up, but you should be comfortable in the saddle. That's it! You have to figure out all the bits and pieces of technique, the finger, hand, wrist arm, shoulder...But then you have to be comfortable and journey comfortably. Now I just have to go back and find where exactly did I read that!..

Meanwhile anyone wishing for a great piano composer, look no further than Dutilleux! What a star! More humane than Boulez, more selective in his output than the verbose Messiaen, he is definitely my favourite French composer from the second half of the 20th century. (Actually he passed away only last year). Snubbed by the french government and status quo, he ignored this, and quietly continued with his precise refined compositions. It did him no harm that his wife Genevieve Joy was such a fine pianist!
Benjamin Britten, meanwhile, didn't actually like the piano sound, so he favoured words with music, inspired by his partner Peter Pears. In some ways this cultured, literary musician was parallel to Francois Poulenc, who was so very enamoured of the poetry of Eluard, Apollinaire et al, whose poetry he set to voice and accompanied Pierre Bernac. Such hidden cultural riches!