Par MUSSORGSKY MODEST. The death in 1873 of Mussorgsky's friend Victor Hartmann was the stimulus for the initial creation of what was to become one of the most vividly colourful works in the orchestral repertoire. However, Mussorgsky's original piano version of Pictures At An Exhibition was not even published until 5 years after his death, and remained almost unknown until Ravel's masterful orches…

Conducteur Avec Couverture Rigide. Par RAMEAU JEAN-PHILIPPE. 'Pigmalion” was the first example of a one-act ballet, preceded by an overture, composed specifically for the Académie royale de musique. With this work, Rameau turned to the form of the petit opéra. From its very first revival, 'Pigmalion” was highly successful, and remained so until 1781. The new edition by Nathalie Berton-Blivet is ba…

The Six Easy Pieces arranged by German composer, conductor, and organist Christian Gottlob Neefe (1748--1798) are inspired by the original vocal/orchestral score of The Magic Flute. These pieces are idiomatic piano duets (one piano, four hands) that remain faithful to the original composition. Filled with wit and charm, they contain many of the memorable elements of the opera: Papageno's magic bel…

Par SCARLATTI / GILBERT. Italian composer, Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) is well-known for his Keyboard compositions. His 555 Keyboard Sonatas remain ever popular to this day, and it is for this reason that this tenth volume is indispensable to performers of the genre. Originally composed for the Harpsichord, Organ or early Pianoforte, the Sonatas display the riveting use of discords and unconven…

Par LISZT FRANZ. In summer 1881 Franz Liszt composed a work that he called “ Valse Oubliée ” (Forgotten waltz) in a letter to his publisher. The work is reminiscent of the appealing Piano waltzes that the composer usedto write when he was younger – although there is a certain distance to the usual waltz style. Liszt by no means renounces virtuosity and elegance, but rather infuses these characteri…

Par MAHLER GUSTAV. The Song of the Earth , composed in the summer of 1908, is Mahler’s best-known and most personal work. Reflecting drastic changes in his life, its immense emotional density is very moving. Until the very end, Mahler continued to refine the extremely differentiated instrumentation, as is evident in numerous retouchings in the autograph score and engraver’s model. It is therefore …

Par CAFARO PASQUALE. Pasquale Cafaro, born in S. Pietro in Galantina in 1715; he was directed by his family to 'scientific' studies (science of law) but soon abandoned them for musical ones. He then entered the Conservatorio della Pietà de' Turchini as a son at the age of 18, almost as an adult. His main teacher was one of the greatest musicians of the 18th century, Leonardo Leo, who immediately r…

Par SCARLATTI / GILBERT. Italian composer, Domenico Scarlatti (1685-1757) is well-known for his Keyboard compositions. His 555 Keyboard Sonatas remain ever popular to this day, and it is for this reason that this first volume is indispensable to performers of the genre. Originally composed for the Harpsichord, Organ or early Pianoforte, the Sonatas display the riveting use of discords and unconven…

Par DIVERS AUTEURS / SARASATE. Quite early in his career, Pablo De Sarasate produced a series of fantasies on themes from popular operas for solo Violin with Orchestral, or Piano accompaniment. The appeal of the Carmen fantasy, with which this collection opens, has remained the most enduring but, perhaps reflecting the varying fortunes with audiences of the operas themselves, settings of Gounod’s …

Par SANDOR JARDANYI. Frigyes Sándor (1905-1979), violinist, teacher and conductor. His six-volume Violin tutor was published between 1949 and 1959, and has remained popular ever since. One reason for its popularity - in addition to its methodological concept - maybe the fact that from the very beginning learners are given high quality musical material on which to master the basic elements of violi…