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Souvenirs d’Auguste Descarries
Isabelle David, piano
Leaf Music, 2022
Souvenirs d’Auguste Descarries, just released on the Leaf Music imprint, is the result of pianist Isabelle David’s five-year research project on a French-Canadian composer whose music she performs for the first time on record. Largely forgotten since his death in 1958 at age 62, Descarries wrote a substantial and quite sophisticated body of work for solo piano with clear overtones of Russian neo-romanticism.
Right from the start of this 14-track side, it is clear that David is in her element, drawing on her virtuosity to deliver a sensitive performance that constantly molds itself to the music’s contours. Of the highlights, the sterling piano arrangement of the Rhapsodie canadienne (1927-33) captures the intensity of the original, a full-blown concerto with orchestral accompaniment. Kudos to the pianist for producing a first-rate album that delivers the goods. May her efforts allow this vastly underrated Québécois composer to gain rightful recognition for a work that has languished in obscurity far too long.
This page is also available in / Cette page est également disponible en:
Francais (French)
