Flac Naive

The French pianist Ismaël Margain, newly signed up with naïve, creates a sensitive and meaningful juxtaposition of two major composers of piano repertoire, Frédéric Chopin and Gabriel Fauré. In spite of its title, this first album by the French pianist recorded under the naïve label is anything but improvised: Ismaël Margain cleverly structures the meeting between two piano geniuses, Frédéric Chopin and Gabriel Fauré, highlighting an “obvious kinship between their styles and in their inspiration,” without confusing or misrepresenting their uniqueness. The impromptu form, common to both composers – four for the first, six for the second –, is the starting point for this logical comparison, organising diversity of atmosphere around similar tonalities.

The French pianist Jean-Paul Gasparian has chosen Debussy for his first album with naïve, an album full of sensitivity and colour, including the first ever recording of the transcription of the Rondes de printemps.With this album devoted solely to Debussy, Jean-Paul Gasparian invites listeners to integrate the atmospheres, colours and timbres that make up Debussy’s world. “The piano, here,” he says, “is a tool that lets your imagination wander, a machine that creates perceptions. Like a sort of stationary journey.”

For her second album with naïve, Zlata Chochieva has chosen a magnificent, audacious programme, associating Schumann, Ravel, Liszt and Bartók with the lesser known Draeseke and Schulz-Evler.Sensitive to nature and to the emotions it inspires, the Russian pianist Zlata Chochieva has conceived this very personal album as a patchwork, sometimes inward-looking, landscape with changing skies.“A recorded programme is not a concert programme, but I also wanted to tell a story, propose a whole tapestry of emotions, open different perspectives,” she confides.

Piano music is central to Valentin Silvestrov’s output. With its frequent allusions to lingering recollections of the past, this programme presents an overview of various creative periods. It begins with the composer’s reworkings of youthful sketches (Naive Musik), followed by Der Bote (The Messenger) with its beautiful Mozartian theme leading into a sonatina in the style of the 18th century. After recent works from Silvestrov’s self–defined ‘Bagatelle’ period, the recording concludes with the striking Kitschmusik, which engages with the music of Schumann, Chopin and Brahms. The Two Waltzes are dedicated to Elisaveta Blumina.

Yeol Eum Son immerses herself in the limitless whimsical imagination of Mozart’s sonatas, and with this complete collection takes us on a voyage in a land of contrasts.Yeol Eum Son has always been drawn to Mozart’s style, in her heart and in her fingers, and maintains a special relationship with his music. She likes to translate from this language, which she considers her mother tongue, the incredible ability to express different worlds, atmospheres and feeling.

With this recording of Book VII of Claudio Monteverdi’s Madrigals (1619, Venice), Rinaldo Alessandrini and his Concerto Italiano devote themselves to a love theme with a very pastoral edge the composer particularly savoured.
The Italian harpsichordist and conductor once again offers us a collection of Monteverdi madrigals of the highest quality, in which the poems not only lead the singing, but also determine the arrangement of the madrigals by poet. Inspired by "the hitherto unpublished stamp of a literary intention" indicated by the composer at the start of the collection, Rinaldo Alessandrini and his ensemble, accustomed to enlightening dramatics, offer a sparkling polyphony varying from one to six voices, in a wide range of pitches.

Conductor and harpsichordist Rinaldo Alessandrini is an innovative interpreter of Italian Baroque opera and instrumental music. As the director of his own ensemble, Concerto Italiano, he has brought dramatic, opera-influenced readings to a variety of Baroque works from Italy and beyond. Alessandrini was born in Rome on January 25, 1960. He was relatively late in beginning his musical studies, taking up the piano at age 14. Four years later, he discovered the harpsichord and traveled to the Netherlands for lessons with Ton Koopman at the Sweelinck Conservatory in Amsterdam. He was soon giving concerts on the harpsichord. Alessandrini founded Concerto Italiano in 1984. He also played the organ, and his first recording, a performance of Girolamo Frescobaldi's Fiori Musicali collection, was on that instrument.

This is the latest album of De-Phazz, the downtempo jazz ensemble from Germany integrating modern turntablism and elements of soul, latin, trip hop and drum and bass into a lounge music sound. The interesting part of this album, is that it incorporates known De-Phazz's songs, re-packaged in a new, fresh, acoustic form. Guitar and bass are in the foreground, sparingly garnished with vocals, trumpet and drums. The german group reinvent itself, adding new traditional instruments, without losing its well known relaxing lounge character. Enjoy some beautiful modern music.