The early 2020s have brought several deep dives into French music from the beginning of the 20th century and specifically into the world of Marcel Proust, partly due to the centenary of Proust's death in 2022. This one from pianist Shani Diluka focuses on music specifically mentioned and admired by Proust, much of it by composers with whom he had some personal connection. Primary among these is Reynaldo Hahn, represented by the elegant and rarely heard Piano Concerto in E major as well as some smaller works. There are also ...
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The early 2020s have brought several deep dives into French music from the beginning of the 20th century and specifically into the world of Marcel Proust, partly due to the centenary of Proust's death in 2022. This one from pianist Shani Diluka focuses on music specifically mentioned and admired by Proust, much of it by composers with whom he had some personal connection. Primary among these is Reynaldo Hahn, represented by the elegant and rarely heard Piano Concerto in E major as well as some smaller works. There are also works by Fauré, Debussy, Franck, Massenet, the almost completely obscure Elegie for piano, WWV 93, of Wagner, and the even rarer and only recently rediscovered Nocturno from the Stimmungsbilder, Op. 9, of Richard Strauss. There are Hahn pieces with spoken texts and an imagined "Sonate de Vinteuil" for violin and piano, assembled from works by Hahn, Ysaÿe, and Cécile Chaminade. Despite the presence of the Hahn piano concerto, the mood has a salon-like intimacy, and Diluka catches the...
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