Romanza

Andreas Ottensamer, who recently announced he will step down as principal clarinet of the Berlin Philharmonic to focus on conducting, presents his latest album with pianist José Gallardo. Romanza features select movements from clarinet sonatas by Brahms, Poulenc, Saint-Saëns, Rota, and Joseph Horovitz. The album also includes Ottensamer’s own transcriptions of beloved classical melodies such as Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, …

Mirrors

Recent guests on Live from WFMT, violinist Paul Huang and pianist Helen Huang (no relation) present their second album as a duo. Following the critical praise for Kaleidoscope, the duo’s 2023 release featuring sumptuous Romantic Era works by Respighi and Saint-Saëns, Mirrors centers two violin sonatas composed during the Second World War. Paul Huang explains that both the Prokofiev Violin …

Fauré & Poulenc: Works for Piano & Orchestra

Following his acclaimed recording of the Saint-Saëns piano concertos with the Malmö Symphony Orchestra, French pianist Romain Descharmes reunites with the orchestra for works by Fauré and Poulenc conducted by Michael Halász. The centerpieces of this all-French program are Fauré’s Ballade and the Poulenc concerto, the former graceful and serene with a flamboyant “Liszt-ian” finale, and the latter clever, whimsical, …

Réveiller

Following their acclaimed recordings of the complete Brahms and Beethoven sonatas, Bella Hristova and Michael Houstoun turn to French works for violin and piano, featuring sonatas by Ravel, Poulenc, and Fauré. Acclaimed as a player with impressive power, passion, and control, a beautiful sound, and a compelling command of her instrument, violinist Bella Hristova is an ardent proponent of contemporary …

Impressions Parisiennes

Quatuor Van Kuijk explores treasures by Fauré, Debussy, Satie, Ravel and Poulenc that were originally composed for piano or voice. The program includes Debussy’s Petite Suite pour piano à quatre mains, Ravel’s famous Pavane pour une infante défunte and well-known songs by Poulenc, Fauré and Satie in transcriptions made especially for this recording by Van Kuijk violist Emmanuel François and …