Composer: Heller/Chopin/Schumann/Debussy/De Falla/Tchaikovsky/Rachmaninov/Scriabin/Cervantes

Genre: Piano Music

Soloists: Ksenia Kouzmenko

Instruments: Piano

Sébastien Érard (1752-1831) came to Paris as an eager boy of sixteen. In 1777 he built the first ever French piano. He became a brilliant instrument maker (pianos, harps, organs), and patented numerous improvements for the piano which are still in use. It wasn’t long before he had factories in both Paris and London: Érard became oneof the biggest brands of the 19th century. Famous Érard owners included Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Heller, Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Franck, Fauré, Chausson, andRavel. This CD is recorded on a London Grand Érard from 1863. "I thought it would be fun to put together a labyrinthine programme, in which you could always take a different path after each piece and create new stories. This CD is just one example, and everything takes place within the ranges of Érard". Ksenia Kouzmenko

In 2013 violinist Lisa Jacobs and Ksenia Kouzmenko released the CD “Poème” on Challenge Records, featuring compositions of Franck and Ysaÿe. The CD “WhisperingLeaves” with the cellist Lucie Štepánová was released in 2018 on Cobra Records, with works of Janácek, Pálenícek and Martinu. Both recordings were highly praised by the international music press.

Tracklisting:

Stephen Heller (1813 - 1888)1. Barcarolle, op.138 no.5 (1874) 2:24

Frédéric Chopin (1810 - 1849)2. Nocturne in A flat major, op.32 no.2 (1837) 6:023. Nocturne in B major, op.62 no.1 (1846) 7:16

Robert Schumann (1810 - 1856)4. Arabeske op. 17 (1838) 6:475. Intermezzo from “Faschingschwank aus Wien”, op.26 (1839) 2:20

Claude Debussy (1862 - 1918)6. “…General Lavine - eccentric” (1912-13) 2:377. “…Bruyères” (1912-13) 3:108. “…La puerta del Vino” (1912-13) 3:30

Manuel de Falla (1876 - 1946)9. “Homenaje a Debussy” (1920) 2:4210. “Danza rutual del fuego ” from “El amor brujo” (1915) 4:01

Pyotr Tchaikovsky (1840 - 1893)11. “May - White Nights” (1876) 3:5612. Sentimental Waltz, op.51 no.6 (1881) 4:18

Sergei Rachmaninov (1873 - 1943)13. Prelude in G major, op.32 no.5 (1910) 3:04

Alexander Skriabin (1872 - 1915)14. Etude in B flat minor, op.8 no.11 (1895) 3:3915. Poème “Vers la flamme”, op.72 (1914) 5:57

Ignacio Cervantes (1847 - 1905)16. “Un recuerdo” (1875) 2:18