Jacques Ibert - Piano Music (1992)

Recorded in September 1991 and originally issued in 1992 on Naxos' costlier sister label Marco Polo (as 8.223409), here is a second chance to sample this rarely heard repertoire. And perhaps to sample is indeed the best way to enjoy this survey of Ibert's pianistic output - to take a couple of free-standing pieces, then perhaps one of the larger collections as the mood takes you. At over 70 minutes, a straight run-through can become laborious, even given such dedicated playing as this. Chang is alive to the various discernible influences, principally Debussy and Poulenc, and also demonstrates an admirable and entirely apt sense of restraint - only occasionally (for example, the first movement of the 'Petite Suite') does she become over-literal. The disc begins with six miniatures (of which one, 'Francaise', was originally written for guitar). 'Le vent dans les ruines' ('The wind over the ruins') of 1915 is particularly effective, a delicate sister to Debussy's Prelude, 'Ce qu'a vu le vent d'Ouest'. The opening 'Scherzetto' is wittily quirky, whilst the brief (58 seconds!) 'Toccata sur le nom d'Albert Roussel' provides a spiky contrast. Of the three sets, 'Les rencontres' ('Encounters') is the most interesting. This was written in 1921-4 and is subtitled, 'Little Suite in the form of a Ballet' (it was used as such by Nijinska in the following year). Ibert's pianistic imagination seems particularly fertile here, 'Les mignardes' ('The precious girls') especially successful in its Debussian evocations and dynamic swells. The 'Petite Suite' in 'Fifteen Picures' is more variable - the opening 'Prelude' is rather drab, 'Parade' is somewhat uninspired, and yet 'La machine a coudre' ('The sewing machine') is charming and the concluding 'Danse du cocher' ('Cabman's Dance') is playfully Stravinskian - Chang at last lets her hair down here. 'Histoires' ('Stories') is the laongest collection, running to nearly 22 minutes. 'Le petit ane blanc' ('The little white donkey') is likely to be the most familiar movement, and is certainly the most frequently excerpted. Of interest also is the Hispanically-titled 'Bajo la mesa' ('Under the table'), strikingly close to de Falla.

Hae-Won Chang: piano

01. Scherztto (2:50)
02. Pièce Romantique (5:54)
03. Toccata sur le nom d'Albert Roussel (1:00)
04. L'espiègle au village de Lilliput (1:00)
05. Française: 'Guitarre' pour le piano (2:37)
06. Le vent dans les ruines (2:58)
07. Petite suite -I- Prélude (1:46)
08. Petite suite -II- Ronde (0:42)
09. Petite suite -III- Le gai vigneron (0:49)
10. Petite suite -IV- Berceuse aux étoiles (1:44)
11. Petite suite -V- Le cavalier Sans-souci (0:58)
12. Petite suite -VI- Parade (1:19)
13. Petite suite -VII- La promenade en traîneau (0:58)
14. Petite suite -VIII- Romance (1:17)
15. Petite suite -IX- Quadrille (0:36)
16. Petite suite -X- Sérénade sur l'eau (1:06)
17. Petite suite -XI- La machine à coudre (0:34)
18. Petite suite -XII- L'Adieu (2:09)
19. Petite suite -XIII- Les crocus (0:58)
20. Petite suite -XIV- Premier bal
21. Petite suite -XV- Danse du cocher
22. Histoires -I- La meneuse de tortues d'or (3:41)
23. Histoires -II- Le petit âne blanc (2:03)
24. Histoires -III- le vieux mendiant (3:03)
25. Histoires -IV- A giddy girl (1:24)
26. Histoires -V- Dans la maison triste (1:51)
27. Histoires -VI- Le palais abandonné (2:07)
28. Histoires -VII- Bajo la mesa (2:03)
29. Histoires -VIII- La cage de cristal (1:26)
30. Histoires -IX- La marchande d'eau fraîche (2:09)
31. Histoires -X- Le cortège de balkis (2:00)
32. Les rencontres -I- Les bouquetières (3:08)
33. Les rencontres -II- Les créoles (4:04)
34. Les rencontres -III- Les mignardes (3:01)
35. Les rencontres -IV- Les bergères (3:39)
36. Les rencontres -V- Les bavardes (2:18)

FLAC Part1 –- FLAC Part2 –- FLAC Part3
MP3 Part1 –- MP3 Part2

all my uploads here