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JACQUES IBERT
(1890-1962) Piano Music.
Scherzetto. Piece romantique. Toccata sur le nom d'Albert Roussel. L'espiegle au village de Lilliput. Francaise. Le vent dans les ruines.Petite Suite. Histoires. Les rencontres.
Hae-won Chang (piano).
Naxos 8.554720 [DDD] [70'47].

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.

An interesting and stimulating offering, then. The recording, fittingly, is light and spacious. Good to see this at super-budget price.

Reviewer

Colin Clarke

Performance

Recording


Reviewer

Colin Clarke

Performance

Recording


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