Franck Piano Sonata No. 1; Prélude, Aria et Finale; Prélude, Choral et Fugue Ingmar Lazar (piano) Hänssler Classic HC22055 73:31 mins
A central figure in 19th-century Parisian musical life, the Belgian-born composer César Franck is best remembered for a series of singular masterpieces – one symphony, one violin sonata, one piano quintet – and a considerable body of organ works. But Ingmar Lazar’s new recording reminds us of the piano’s place in Franck’s output, an instrument which he also combined with orchestra in the much-admired Symphonic Variations. Franck’s solo piano works span his entire creative life, though whether the composer would have welcomed the disinterring here of the Piano Sonata No. 1 is another matter. Written at the age of 13 in a classical mould, it was disowned and remains unpublished, though the finale sounds charming enough.
Before getting to a pair of important late works, the French pianist also includes the Grand Caprice of 1843, a virtuoso piece (as the title implies) that is not without gentler moments. It doesn’t sound especially Franck-like, but that soundworld arrives in the torturous chromaticism at the start of the Prélude, Aria et Final, the last of Franck’s piano works and dating from 1887. Its final movement receives an exciting performance from Lazar. He also delivers airy textures in the first two movements of the Prélude, Choral et Fugue, another late work, before bringing his programme to an imposing close.
John Allison
