# French pianists



## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

Do pianists from France - well most of them; not all of course - have a particular style of playing? Does there really exist a 'school of pianism' in France? I suppose the idea's ridiculous to an extent because it implies homogeneity - an impossibility in art.

From what I can gather, the playing isn't flashy, the fingering very fleet and light and "aristocratic" {whatever that means}. 

What are some of the greatest pianists to have come from France?

I know a few but have heard none: Michel Dalberto, Samson Francois, György Cziffra {though I have read his playing was flashy}, Robert Casadesus, Jean-Yves Thibaudet and Alfred Cortot.

Which recordings of these pianists would you recommend?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Wiki has a comprehensive list of French pianists,

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:French_classical_pianists

but leaves out _Jean Doyen, Raymond Trouard and Fabienne Jacquinot _from the older generations with recordings.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

_Cziffra_ is quite uneven IMO, but it´s not all about flashiness, it´s more diversified than that; 
some of the best recordings are the Hungarian Rhapsodies by Liszt, which suit his style (if one likes the music), and also the Chopin Etudes. 
Here are MP3 samples of them
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/EMI/5753742#listen

As far as I remember, some of his Beethoven sonatas and Schumann are interesting too, though one wouldn´t perhaps normally associate that repertoire with him.

I haven´t found the concerto recordings by him that interesting.

As for _Casadesus_, some of his Mozart Concerto recordings (CBS-Sony) are very good, whereas his famous Ravel didn´t impress me personally.
Here´s a good set 
https://www.amazon.com/Robert-Casadesus-Mozart-Wolfgang-Amadeus/dp/B004H6P2KQ
MP3 samples from it
http://www.prestoclassical.co.uk/r/Sony/88697808372


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

_Marcelle Meyer _did some contrastful, playful Chabrier recordings, but they are not only light in their style:






There are also a series of Rameau recordings by her, but I think there are better, later recordings by others.


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## Pugg (Aug 8, 2014)

Do not forget Alexandre Tharaud, he made outstanding recordings!


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

Also in the mono corner, _Doyen_ did some interesting Ravel concertos, for example. 
I think he has a remarkable overview of the many, complicated notes and in structuring them into coherent phrasings, a sense of line










Faure: Nocturnes:


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

Herrenvolk said:


> Do pianists from France - well most of them; not all of course - have a particular style of playing?


Yes. There's a book on this by Charles Timbrell.



Herrenvolk said:


> What are some of the greatest pianists to have come from France?


Cortot


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## kanishknishar (Aug 10, 2015)

joen_cph said:


> Wiki has a comprehensive list of French pianists,
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category:French_classical_pianists
> 
> but leaves out _Jean Doyen, Raymond Trouard and Fabienne Jacquinot _from the older generations with recordings.


It lists _all _pianists. I would be more interested in French pianists people can recommend with specific recordings.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

It lists classical French pianists, including some of the old composers that were also pianists, and including of course some names of less importance.

Some of us, myself included, might not have all names in the category immediately on the radar, that´s why I gave the link. 

For example, I had to check out whether Aldo Ciccolini was French, though he was a specialist in recording French music for French HMV.

EDIT: I´ve included some specifications in post #5.


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## Strange Magic (Sep 14, 2015)

I've beaten this drum before, but Sampson François/André Cluytens did the Ravel concertos better IMHO than anyone. The recording is old--1959 maybe--but good, and you get _Gaspard_.

https://www.amazon.com/Ravel-Piano-Concertos-Gaspard-Nuit/dp/B00000GCA9

Check out the reviews!


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

One of the best french pianist and most representative masters of french pianism is italian: Aldo Ciccolini.


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## Headphone Hermit (Jan 8, 2014)

Herrenvolk said:


> Do pianists from France - ...... György Cziffra {though I have read his playing was flashy},


Cziffra became a French citizen aged 47 but that hardly makes him a 'French' pianist. I suggest you leave him well alone when you investigate this topic. Vlado Perlemuter (born Lithuanian-Jewish but resident in France from a very young age and studied in France) might be a suitable replacement


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

The two distinctively French that pianists that I've most enjoyed are probably *Robert Casadesus* and *Samson François*.

Casadesus' recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 (aka "Elvira Madigan") was some of the first Mozart I ever heard -- and it's still one of my favorite Mozart recordings. It's included in the box set that joen_cph mentions above, but you can also get it as a single disc, coupled with the 26th PC (also superb), all conducted by George Szell:










Even though he's probably best known for his Chopin, Debussy and Ravel, this is the LP that made me a Samson François convert:










*Franck: Qunitet For Piano & Strings / Samson François & the Bernède Quartet (EMI/Pathe Marconi)*

Just did a bit of looking and it appears that this LP isn't readily available in digital form. That's a shame. 

The music is sublime.


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## Heliogabo (Dec 29, 2014)

JACE said:


> The two distinctively French that pianists that I've most enjoyed are probably *Robert Casadesus* and *Samson François*.
> 
> Casadesus' recording of Mozart's Piano Concerto No. 21 (aka "Elvira Madigan") was some of the first Mozart I ever heard -- and it's still one of my favorite Mozart recordings. It's included in the box set that joen_cph mentions above, but you can also get it as a single disc, coupled with the 26th PC (also superb), all conducted by George Szell:
> 
> ...


Certainly it exists, disc 5 in this set, a little "introuvable", but worth searching.

https://www.amazon.com/Introuvables-Samson-Francois/dp/B000026HXV

I´ll give it a spin soon. He' s one of my favorite pianists, especially for his Chopin.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Just remembered another French pianist that I love: *Jean-Philippe Collard*.

I would particularly recommend his Rachmaninov recordings, especially the concertos that he recorded with Michel Plasson and the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse:










Russian music with a French accent! (Given the enormous French influence on Russian culture, this combination seems entirely appropriate to my ears -- at least occasionally.)


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Heliogabo said:


> Certainly it exists, disc 5 in this set, a little "introuvable", but worth searching.
> 
> https://www.amazon.com/Introuvables-Samson-Francois/dp/B000026HXV
> 
> I´ll give it a spin soon. He' s one of my favorite pianists, especially for his Chopin.


Oh good. I'm glad that music is available.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

What do the piano people here think of Eric Heidsieck?


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

I practically never see any LPs or CDs with Heidsieck up here, so I´d have to order from abroad. 
I think I once bought a Mozart concertos LP without finding it that interesting, at the time.
I know he´s held in high esteem by some.


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

He has a very distinctive approach to rubato. A concerto may restrict what he can do in that respect.


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## joen_cph (Jan 17, 2010)

That sounds interesting.


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## JACE (Jul 18, 2014)

Mandryka said:


> He has a very distinctive approach to rubato. A concerto may restrict what he can do in that respect.





joen_cph said:


> That sounds interesting.


It does.

Can you recommend any particular recordings, Mandryka?


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## Mandryka (Feb 22, 2013)

JACE said:


> It does.
> 
> Can you recommend any particular recordings, Mandryka?


Be wary, the rubato may not be to your liking, it isn't to my liking really. though I know people who love it. Having said that there are two recording which I loved: the Fauré nocturnes and preludes. You won't hear the rubato so strongly in them for some reason. His early recordings of the Beethoven and Mozart sonatas used to be really easily and cheaply available.

If you're interested in Handel on piano, I'm not sure you can do better than Heidsieck.


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## worov (Oct 12, 2012)

I recommend Annie d'Arco's Mendelssohn recordings (Erato).


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