Pierre-laurent Aimard - The Warner Recordings (2012)

Pierre-Laurent Aimard has for decades acted as the foremost contemporary exponent of modern piano music, building a reputation for profound musicality across the works of widely varied composers and even further-ranging techniques. In an immensely satisfying traversal of the genre, this 6 disc set of Debussy, Ravel, Boulez, Berg, Ives, Messiaen, Ligeti, and Carter works is a snapshot of Aimard doing some of the best work of his storied career.

Composer: Claude Debussy, Charles Ives, György Ligeti, Olivier Messiaen, …
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard, Tabea Zimmermann, Alexei Lubimov, Sophie Cherrier

Reviews: "Given Aimard's celebrated proficiency with difficult 20th-century solo piano works, it comes as no surprise that he makes the Concord Sonata's knottiest pages sound easy to play and clear to perceive–as in Hawthorne's lightning-quick runs, Ragtime-influenced passages, and mountains of chord clusters. The Alcotts movement might seem too brisk and business-like to listeners accustomed to more genial, softer-edged accounts, however I find the added rigor and rhythmic backbone refreshing. Notice also how Aimard articulates Ives' varied accentuations and stress markings by timbral distinction rather than merely adjusting dynamics. He matches the polish and power of Marc-André Hamelin's New World Records recording, while imparting an idiomatic flavor to the march and hymn-tune quotations that we've missed since the Concord's vinyl heyday via Kirkpatrick, Kontarsky, Szidon, and Mandel."

Tracklisting:

1. Images for Piano, Set 1 by Claude Debussy
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1905; France
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 19 Minutes 28 Secs.

2. Images for Piano, Set 2 by Claude Debussy
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1907; France
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 18 Minutes 3 Secs.

3. Etudes (12) for Piano, Book 1 by Claude Debussy
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; France
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 20 Minutes 49 Secs.

4. Etudes (12) for Piano, Book 2 by Claude Debussy
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; France
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 24 Minutes 0 Secs.

5. Sonata for Piano no 2 "Concord, Mass 1840-60" by Charles Ives
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano), Tabea Zimmermann (Viola)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1911-1915; USA
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 48 Minutes 4 Secs.

6. Quarter-Tone Pieces (3), for 2 pianos, S. 128 (K. 3C3) by Charles Ives
Performer: Alexei Lubimov (Piano), Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1923-1924; United States of Ame
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 11 Minutes 15 Secs.

7. Études pour piano: 4. Fanfares by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 3 Minutes 31 Secs.

8. Études pour piano: 8. Fém by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 3 Minutes 7 Secs.

9. Études pour piano: 12. Entrelacs by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 3 Minutes 5 Secs.

10. Études pour piano: 16. Pour Irina by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 4 Minutes 3 Secs.

11. Études pour piano: 17. A bout de souffle by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 2 Minutes 25 Secs.

12. Études pour piano: 18. Canon by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Venue: Salle de Musique, Théâtre de La Chaux-de
Length: 1 Minutes 32 Secs.

13. Vingt regards sur l'enfant Jésus by Olivier Messiaen
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1944; France
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 101 Minutes 29 Secs.

14. Gaspard de la nuit by Maurice Ravel
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1908; France
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 23 Minutes 20 Secs.

15. Night Fantasies, for piano by Elliott Carter
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1980; United States of Ame
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 22 Minutes 23 Secs.

16. Diversions (2) by Elliott Carter
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1999; USA
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 7 Minutes 44 Secs.

17. 90+ by Elliott Carter
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1994; USA
Venue: Großer Saal, Konzerthaus, Vienna
Length: 5 Minutes 32 Secs.

18. Sonatine, for flute & piano by Pierre Boulez
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano), Sophie Cherrier (Flute)
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1946; France
Date of Recording: 03/1990-09/1990
Venue: Espace de Projection, Ircam, Paris
Length: 11 Minutes 37 Secs.

19. Piano Sonata No. 1 by Pierre Boulez
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Contemporary
Written: 1946; France
Date of Recording: 03/1990-09/1990
Venue: Espace de Projection, Ircam, Paris
Length: 8 Minutes 51 Secs.

20. Sonata for Piano, Op. 1 by Alban Berg
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: ?1907-08; Austria
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 11 Minutes 36 Secs.

21. Sonata for Piano no 23 in F minor, Op. 57 "Appassionata" by Ludwig van Beethoven
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Classical
Written: 1804-1805; Vienna, Austria
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 25 Minutes 17 Secs.

22. Légendes (2) for Piano, S 175: no 2, St Francis de Paule walks on water by Franz Liszt
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Romantic
Written: 1863; Rome, Italy
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 9 Minutes 42 Secs.

23. Études pour piano: 2. Cordes à vide by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 2 Minutes 59 Secs.

24. Études pour piano: 6. Automne à Varsovie by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 4 Minutes 44 Secs.

25. Études pour piano: 10. Der Zauberlehrling by György Ligeti
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: Modern
Written: 1985-1995
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 2 Minutes 27 Secs.

26. Etudes (12) for Piano, Book 1: no 6, Pour les huits doigts by Claude Debussy
Performer: Pierre-Laurent Aimard (Piano)
Period: 20th Century
Written: 1915; France
Date of Recording: 12/03/2001
Venue: Carnegie Hall, New York
Length: 2 Minutes 11 Secs.








Thanks to the original releaser