Alexandre Tharaud & Friends – Four Hands

Contents

Brahms: 21 Hungarian Dances, WoO 1: No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor (Piano 4-Hands Version) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Bruce Liu (piano)

Bach, J S: Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit, BWV 106 “Actus Tragicus”: No. 2, Chöre, Arioso und Aria. “Gottes Zeit ist die allerbeste Zeit” (Arr. Kurtág for Piano 4-Hands) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), David Fray (piano)

Piazzólla: Libertango (Arr. Yamamoto for Piano 4-Hands) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Beatrice Rana (piano)

Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56: No. 1. Berceuse /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Nicholas Angelich (piano)

Tchaikovsky: The Sleeping Beauty, Op. 66, Act 1 “The Spell”: No. 6, Waltz (Arr. Rachmaninov for Piano 4-Hands) Alexander Melnikov (piano), Alexandre Tharaud (piano)

Ravel: Ma Mère l’Oye, M. 60: V. Le jardin féérique /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Bertrand Chamayou (piano)

Satie: Parade: Prestidigitateur chinois /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Gautier Capuçon (piano)

Françaix: 15 Portraits d’enfants d’Auguste Renoir: No. 7, Fillette au chapeau bleu /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Juliette (piano)

Schubert: 3 Marches militaires, Op. 51, D. 733: No. 1 in D Major /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Michel Dalberto (piano)

Grieg: 4 Norwegian Dances, Op. 35: No. 2 in A Major, Allegretto tranquillo e grazioso /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Víkingur Ólafsson (piano)

Haydn: Piano Trio in G Major, Hob. XV:25: III. Rondo all’ongarese. Presto (Arr. Metzdorff for Piano 4-Hands) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Momo Kodama (piano)

Dvořák: Slavonic Dances, Op. 72, B. 145: No. 2 in E Minor, Allegretto grazioso /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Mariam Batsashvili (piano)

Lavignac: Galop-marche à huit mains (Arr. Lemoine for Piano 4-Hands) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Frank Braley (piano)

Charles-Henry: 3 + 3: No. 3, The Just Average /Alexandre Tharaud (piano)

Mozart: Sonata for Piano 4-Hands in D Major, K. 381: III. Allegro molto /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Arielle Beck (piano)

Poulenc: Sonata for Piano 4-Hands, FP 8: I. Prelude /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Emmanuel Strosser (piano)

Debussy: Petite suite, CD 71, L. 65: I. En bateau /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Frédéric Vaysse-Knitter (piano)

Glass, P: 3 Pieces for Four Hands: No. 2, Stokes /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Vanessa Wagner (piano)

Rachmaninov: 6 Morceaux, Op. 11: No. 1, Barcarolle /Aleksandar Madzar (piano), Alexandre Tharaud (piano)

Schumann: 6 Studien in kanonischer Form, Op. 56: No. 4, Innig (Transcr. Bizet for Piano 4-Hands) Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Eric Le Sage (piano)

Pierné, G: Barcarolle, Op. 26 /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Philippe Jaroussky (piano)

Bizet: Jeux d’enfants, Op. 22, WD 56: No. 12, Le bal /Alexandre Tharaud (piano), Martin James Bartlett (piano)

“This was something I’d had in mind for a long time…to put together an album for the sheer pleasure of it, in collaboration with dear friends and paying tribute to the wonders of the piano duet repertoire.” – Alexandre Tharaud

Four Hands consists of 22 tracks, with French pianist Alexandre Tharaud sharing the keyboard with a different performer on each. The repertoire ranges from Bach to Glass through composers such as Schubert, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, Rachmaninov, Ravel and Piazzolla. The pianists featured on the album include the late Nicholas Angelich, Martin James Bartlett, Mariam Batsashvili, Bertrand Chamayou, David Fray, Bruce Liu, Víkingur Ólafsson, Beatrice Rana and others. Three tracks feature soloists typically known for their skills on other instruments: cellist Gautier Capuçon, countertenor Philippe Jaroussky and the Paris-born singer-songwriter Juliette Noureddine.

Reviews

Presto Music 10th May 2024

“The press-release quotes Tharaud as saying the album was ‘made for the sheer pleasure of it’. This is tangibly translated in much of the playing, across a programme that ranges from Bach to Glass…Music and partners are mostly well matched, nowhere more so than in the closing Bizet (‘Le bal’ from Jeux d’enfants) played with Martin James Bartlett, whose skittish flamboyance combines with Tharaud’s flexibility and flare to bring the playful character of the piece to life. – Matthew Ash