Laurent Colson

After a magnificent tribute to Thelonious Monk with the same partners a few years ago, Laurent de Wilde returns to us in a trio setting with a repertoire that is entirely his own, except for a theme co-composed with his drummer Donald Kontomanou.

Robert Schumann’s Sonatas for violin and piano have been a part of our repertoire for many years. The more intimately we get to know them, the more we realize how much they are the unfiltered reflection of a troubled personality, very human, at the mercy of his contradictions, joys and sorrows. This is what makes these works endearing but also, at times, disconcerting (especially so in the case of the 3rd Sonata).

At Work, produced by the pianist Laurent de Wilde, it is the communion of all. This alto saxophone incandescent also recalls that jazz is not just a man's. Supported by Paul Lay on piano, Yoni Zelnik on bass and Donald Kontomanou on drums, Géraldine Laurent sign probably his most concise drive but, on arrival, his most personal and most successful. A haven of musicality where his own compositions blend to perfection in those swords named Monk, Mingus or Jobim. Brilliant.

Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard joins forces with the San Francisco Symphony and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen for a recording of Bartók’s complete piano concertos. A pianist himself, Bartók imbued his three concertos with multiple aspects of his compositional persona, ranging from complex and innovative (the First) to exuberant (the Second) and serene (the Third). The result is a fascinating slice of his musical life. This all-Bartók release marks the first Pentatone collaboration between Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony, an ensemble he has reshaped through creative performance concepts and expansive new media projects.

Pianist Pierre-Laurent Aimard joins forces with the San Francisco Symphony and Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen for a recording of Bartók’s complete piano concertos. A pianist himself, Bartók imbued his three concertos with multiple aspects of his compositional persona, ranging from complex and innovative (the First) to exuberant (the Second) and serene (the Third). The result is a fascinating slice of his musical life. This all-Bartók release marks the first Pentatone collaboration between Esa-Pekka Salonen and the San Francisco Symphony, an ensemble he has reshaped through creative performance concepts and expansive new media projects.

This project showcases a union between two artists expressing their infinite love of the piano after years of joint concerts and international collaboration.

Released between 1991 and 2005, the selections in The Warner Recordings encapsulate the period when Pierre-Laurent Aimard was signed to Erato and Teldec, performing mostly 20th-century fare and some music from the 19th century. Aimard is famous for his contributions to the modernist catalog, and his performances of works by Pierre Boulez, Elliott Carter, György Ligeti, and Olivier Messiaen are regarded as scrupulously executed and authoritatively interpreted. Aimard also recorded early 20th century pieces by Charles Ives, Alban Berg, Maurice Ravel, and Claude Debussy, as well as Romantic masterpieces of Beethoven and Liszt. A pianist's pianist, Aimard is well-rounded in his repertoire and a true master of keyboard technique, yet he has received considerably less fanfare than many of his flashier colleagues. Yet connoisseurs of piano recordings know that Aimard is indispensible, especially for his special feeling for French music, and his recordings are important documents that serious students and newcomers should appreciate.