Pianist
Fazil Say
is often recognized for fresh perspectives, and so it is with this 2024 release. He's not particularly known for French repertory but turns to it here with typically original results. For some listeners the main draw will be
Ravel
's
Miroirs
, one of the few works in the repertory that still causes technical difficulties for pianists at the highest level. The set was a pandemic project for
Say
, and the practicing paid off, with great precision in the figuration and tricky repeated notes combined with a highly expressive performance of the album's title piece. There is also a famous number,
Clair de lune
, in
Debussy
Suite bergamasque
and
's performance of that, in a world full of them, is particularly entrancing. But there's something more to
's album than just French recital standards. He's not the first to include French Baroque pieces in such a recital, but they're not usually put up front, as the
21st Ordre from the Quatrième Livre
is here.
offers detailed pianistic readings of these, and what's interesting is that when one traverses his album as a whole, the
Couperin
seems to "rub off" on the
and even the
, an idea that neither of the composers would have found in the least surprising. Both admired
, and both were shaped by his approach to keyboard music. The medium-sized Ahmed Adnan Saygun Arts Center auditorium in Izmir, Turkey, is ideal for this performance, catching both the detail in the
and the moods of the
. Essential for
fans, this is a fresh French recital for anyone. ~ James Manheim