Delvincourt: Croquembouches & Other Pno Works CD

Claude Delvincourt (1888-1954) occupies a distinctive, though somewhat overlooked, place in twentieth-century French music. Born in Paris, he studied at the Paris Conservatoire with Georges Caussade and Charles-Marie Widor. In 1913, he won the prestigious Premier Grand Prix de Rome for his cantata Faust et Helene, sharing the distinction with Lili Boulanger. During the First World War, he was seriously wounded, and his musical activities were interrupted for several years. He later resumed composing and went on to become director of the Paris Conservatoire, a position he held from 1941 until his death in 1954. The piano occupied an important place in Delvincourt's output. His music combines the clarity and elegance of the French tradition with rhythmic vitality, wit and a gift for vivid musical characterization. His principal piano works include Cinq Pieces (1923), Croquembouches (1926), Heures juveniles (1928) and Images pour les contes du temps passe for piano duet.Among these collections, Croquembouches is particularly distinctive. Composed in 1926 and published in 1931, this collection of twelve piano pieces takes it's title from a French confection traditionally made from small pieces of pastry. Delvincourt approaches the piano miniature like an assortment of delicacies, each piece offering it's own flavour, colour and character. The whimsical titles include Omelette au rhum, Linzer tart, Rahat loukhoum, Grenadine, Meringue a la creme, Plum pudding, Baba and Puits d'amour. Beneath the playful surface lies sophisticated pianistic writing, with contrasting rhythms, textures and registers that demand precision, agility and a keen sense of timing.Giorgio Koukl performs these works with charm, wit and delicacy. Renowned for his interpretations of French piano music of the 1920s and composers associated with the so-called Silver Age of St Petersburg, Koukl is also widely recognised for his work on the piano music of Bohuslav Martinu, having recorded the composer's complete solo piano works.