Roger Nichols
Recent articles by Roger Nichols
Dinu Lipatti: an awesomely talented pianist we lost far too soon
When Dinu Lipatti died at just 33, the world lost a pianist at the height of his powers. Roger Nichols recalls the Romanian’s extraordinary musicianship
Les Six: the revolutionary French composers who rejected Romanticism and found brand new soundworlds
Post-war France saw the old order booted aside in an attempt to restore morale to a bruised nation. Roger Nichols reveals how, more than 100 years ago, a group of young composers ushered in a bright new dawn
Franck • Chausson: Symphonies
A deux voix: Songs by Viardot, Widor, Delibes, Chaminade et al
How Saint-Saëns’s piano concertos helped revolutionise the genre
Saint-Saëns’s five piano concertos bucked the trend of the French musical establishment – and, says Roger Nichols, remain a legacy to be reckoned with
Mer(s): Dukas - L’Apprenti sorcier; Cras - Journal de Bord; Debussy - La mer
Écoles de Paris: Works by Ibert, Mihalovici, Antheil, Laks, Stravinsky
Benjamin Attahir • Debussy • Ravel: String Quartets
Saint-Saëns: Le Carnaval des animaux etc
Fauré • Franck • Poulenc • Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos etc
Mendelssohn: Symphony No. 4 'Italian'
Fauré: Cello Sonatas
Fauré: Nocturnes and Barcarolles
Marc-André Hamelin (piano), *Cathy Fuller (piano) (Hyperion)
Albéric Magnard: unveiling the passion and tragedy of France's forgotten composer
A combination of bad timing, unfortunate circumstance and his own bloody-mindedness condemned Magnard’s music to obscurity. It was, says Roger Nichols, an unjust fate
Saint-Saëns: Symphonic Poems
Sinfonieorchester Basel/Ivor Bolton (Prospero Classical)
Hahn • Koechlin • Tailleferre: Piano Duos
Martin Jones, Adrian Farmer (piano) (Nimbus)
Edouard Lalo: meet the French composer who gave Romanticism a Spanish tang
Lalo’s best works for the opera stage and concert hall reveal a distinctive composer who by no means deserves his present neglect, says Roger Nichols
Charles Gounod: Was the composer of Faust devilishly good, or a one-hit wonder?
Feted in his own era, the French composer Charles Gounod deserves to be remembered for more than the small handful of his works that are familiar today, says Roger Nichols
Lalo • Saint-Saëns: Cello Concertos etc
Maja Bogdanović (cello); RTS Symphony Orchestra/Bojan Sudjić (Challenge Classics)
Franck • Martin: Piano Quintets
Armida Quartett; Martin Klett (piano) (CAvi-music)
Le Voyage (Lowe/Milne)
Alexandra Lowe (soprano), Patrick Milne (piano) (Champs Hill Records)
Ravel – In Search of Lost Dance (Linos Piano Trio)
Linos Piano Trio (CAvi-music)
Schmitt, Florent
If only he had learnt to keep his mouth shut, this fine French composer might be more favourably regarded today, says Roger Nichols. Here he shares Schmitt's life and works
Nuit et Jour (Maria Martinova)
Maria Martinova (piano) (Rubicon)