Although awareness is seeping out, pedagogue Nadia Boulanger is still, as the members of the Boulanger Trio point out, not a household name. This delightful release may not make her one, for it rummages around in the corners of her legacy rather than presenting its most salient points, but for those who admire Boulanger and her progeny, it's a gem. The main attraction is the freshness of the repertory. Boulanger fans will know that Aaron Copland and Jean Françaix were Boulanger students, although the representation of ...
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Although awareness is seeping out, pedagogue Nadia Boulanger is still, as the members of the Boulanger Trio point out, not a household name. This delightful release may not make her one, for it rummages around in the corners of her legacy rather than presenting its most salient points, but for those who admire Boulanger and her progeny, it's a gem. The main attraction is the freshness of the repertory. Boulanger fans will know that Aaron Copland and Jean Françaix were Boulanger students, although the representation of Copland by the 1929 Vitebsk, Study on a Jewish Theme is unexpected and marks a worthwhile revival of this rather rare piece. They may have also known that Leonard Bernstein, Philip Glass, and Astor Piazzolla crossed paths with Boulanger; Bernstein may have been the last person to speak with her, and the claim here that Piazzolla wouldn't have found his way to the nuevo tango without her is defensible. Even the Boulanger hardcore, however, may not have given much thought to her...
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