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WARNER CLASSICS

SAMSON FRANCOIS - THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (54 CDS + 1 DVD)

SAMSON FRANCOIS - THE COMPLETE RECORDINGS (54 CDS + 1 DVD)

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€98,95 EUR
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Samson François was a true poet of the piano. A brilliant, inspired pianist especially identified with the music of Chopin, Debussy and Ravel, he played with both the proverbial clarity of the French school and a visceral immediacy and spontaneity. Charismatic, sometimes provocative, and numbering jazz among his passions, he achieved celebrity status - notably in France and Japan. The works of Chopin are prominent in this collection - melodic contours were always a priority for François - but the complete list of composers is richly diverse.

Three major new bonuses are the long-awaited world premiere release of François' penultimate live recital, recorded at the Nohant Festival in France in June 1970, just four months before his death at the age of 46; a recital recorded in Tokyo in 1969, and a DVD documentary, written by his son, Maximilien François. This new edition places all recordings in the context of their original couplings and the CD wallets carry the original artwork.

This 55-disc box set marks 50 years since the death, on 22 October 1970 at the age of just 46, of the French pianist (and composer) Samson François. The box is an expanded version of a collection first released 10 years ago. This new edition places all recordings in the context of their original couplings and the CD wallet designs feature the original artwork.

Samson François’ life was colourful, even dramatic. He was born in Frankfurt in 1924 to a French family that moved from country to country, and he often took a creative approach to his own biography. A charismatic, sometimes provocative figure, he achieved celebrity status, notably in France and Japan, and was renowned for his charm and eloquence. His lifestyle was idiosyncratic and undisciplined. A heavy smoker and drinker, he liked to stay up all night, often in jazz clubs. In 1968 he suffered a heart attack on stage, dying two years later.

François’ credentials as a French pianist were impeccable. After initial studies in Belgrade, Yugoslavia, he became a student in Nice and subsequently in Paris, where, on the recommendation of Alfred Cortot, his teachers were Yvonne Lefébure (at the École Normale de Musique, co-founded by Cortot in 1919) and Marguerite Long (at the Paris Conservatoire). He also studied harmony with the great composition teacher Nadia Boulanger. He first performed a concerto in Paris (Liszt’s Piano Concerto No 1) in 1941, at the age of just 17, but his career was well and truly launched by his victory in the inaugural Long-Thibaud Competition in 1943. Beyond France, he appeared around Europe, the USA, the Middle East and Japan, and broke ground with his performances in the Soviet Union and China.

Samson François: The Complete Recordings: The works of Chopin are especially prominent in the collection – the melodic contours of any music were the determining factor for François – but the complete list of composers is richly diverse: Bach, Bartók, Beethoven, Debussy, Fauré, Franck, Hindemith, Liszt, Mendelssohn, Mozart, Prokofiev, Ravel (including the famous recording of the two piano concertos, conducted by André Cluytens), Saint-Saëns, Schumann and Scriabin. There is also music by François himself, including a film soundtrack.

During his life, François achieved star status in France and Japan. However, the limited currency of his recordings in some other markets meant that his genius was not fully recognised everywhere. Be that as it may, there can be no doubt that he was one of the leading French pianists of his time – and probably the greatest of them.

For this 2020 release, three major additions have been made to the contents of the 2010 collection:

• The long-awaited world premiere release of a recording of François’ penultimate live recital, which took place in June 1970 – just four months before his death – at the Nohant Festival in central France. He performs music by Schumann and Ravel, but the venue has a special association with his beloved Chopin: Nohant was the country home of Chopin’s mistress George Sand.

• A recital recorded at the Nissay Theatre in Tokyo in 1969 (Franck, Fauré, Debussy)

• The 1998 documentary Samson François l’enchanteur, directed by Christian Girier and written by the pianist’s son, Maximilien François, available for the first time in DVD

Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 2 in A minor 'chromatique'

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 9 in G flat major 'Butterfly'

Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 16 in B flat minor

Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 17 in A flat major

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit: Scarbo

Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 3 in F major

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 10 in A flat major

Chopin: Waltz No. 11 in G flat major, Op. 70 No. 1

Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29

Chopin: Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2

Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 18

Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39

Chopin: Prelude Op. 28 No. 1 in C major

Challan: Concerto pastoral for piano and orchestra, Op. 20

François, S: Piano Concerto

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26

Prokofiev: Toccata in D minor, Op. 11

Prokofiev: Visions fugitives, Op. 22 (extracts)

Prokofiev: Toccata in D minor, Op. 11

Schumann: Toccata in C major, Op. 7

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 1 in E major

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 2 in C sharp minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 3 in B flat major

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 4 in E flat major

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 5 in E minor 'Héroïde-élégiaque'

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 6 in D flat major

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 7 in D minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 8 in F sharp minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 9 in E flat major 'Pesther Carneval'

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 10 in E major 'Preludio'

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 11 in A minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 12 in C sharp minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 13 in A minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 14 in F minor

Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody, S244 No. 15 in A minor 'Rákóczy Marsch'

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124

Bach, J S: Toccata, Adagio & Fugue in C major, BWV564

Bach, J S: Chorale Prelude BWV639 'Ich ruf' zu dir, Herr Jesu Christ'

Bach, J S: Chorale Prelude BWV734 'Nun freut euch, lieben Christen gmein'

Bach, J S: Prelude in A minor, BWV543

Franck, C: Prélude, Choral et Fugue, M21

Fauré: Nocturne No. 2 in B major, Op. 33 No. 2

Fauré: Nocturne No. 4 in E flat major Op. 36

Fauré: Impromptu No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31

Chopin: Scherzi Nos. 1-4

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre'

Chopin: Nocturne No. 15 in F minor, Op. 55 No. 1

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 2 in F minor

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor ‘Revolutionary'

Chopin: Waltz No. 13 in D flat major, Op. 70 No. 3

Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2

Chopin: Grande Polonaise Op. 22

Schumann: Études symphoniques, Op. 13

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2

Schumann: Carnaval, Op. 9

Chopin: Mazurkas Nos. 1-51

Chopin: Ballades Nos. 1-4

Chopin: Impromptus Nos. 1-4

Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-14

Bartók: Elegies (2), Sz. 41

Mozart: Variations (12) on ‘Ah, vous dirai-je, Maman' in C major, K265

Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 62 No. 6 in A major 'Spring Song'

Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 5 in B minor

Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 19b No. 4 in A major

Mendelssohn: Rondo capriccioso in E major, Op. 14

Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 67 No. 5 in B minor

Mendelssohn: Song without Words, Op. 62 No. 2 in B flat major

Hindemith: Die vier Temperamente

François, S: Ballade pour un voyou

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

Chopin: Polonaises Nos. 1-7

Chopin: Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

Chopin: Études (12), Op. 10

Chopin: Études (12), Op. 25

Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit

Chopin: Polonaise No. 6 in A flat major, Op. 53 'Héroïque'

Chopin: Nocturne No. 5 in F sharp major, Op. 15 No. 2

Chopin: Impromptu No. 4 in C sharp minor, Op. 66 'Fantaisie-Impromptu'

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 3 in E major 'Tristesse'

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 5 in G flat major 'Black Key'

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 12 in C minor

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor ‘Revolutionary'

Chopin: Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23

Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2

Chopin: Waltz No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute Waltz'

Chopin: Waltz No. 9 in A flat major, Op. 69 No. 1 'Farewell Waltz'

Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31

Ravel: Piano Concerto in G major

Ravel: Piano Concerto in D major (for the left hand)

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 2 in A major, S125

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83

Scriabin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F sharp minor, Op. 23

Debussy: L'isle joyeuse

Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin (from Préludes - Book 1: No. 8)

Debussy: La cathédrale engloutie (from Préludes - Book 1)

Debussy: La Danse de Puck (from Préludes - Book 1)

Debussy: Minstrels (from Préludes - Book 1)

Debussy: La plus que lente

Debussy: Pour le piano

Debussy: Études pour piano No. 11 - Pour les arpeges composes

Debussy: Clair de Lune (from Suite Bergamasque)

Debussy: Passepied

Chopin: Preludes (24), Op. 28

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 3 in C major, Op. 26

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major, Op. 55

Chopin: Waltzes Nos. 1-14

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 8 in C minor, Op. 13 'Pathetique'

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 14 in C sharp minor, Op. 27 No. 2 ‘Moonlight'

Beethoven: Piano Sonata No. 23 in F minor, Op. 57 'Appassionata'

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre'

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

Chopin: Nocturnes Nos. 1-19

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E minor, Op. 11

Chopin: Piano Concerto No. 2 in F minor, Op. 21

Chopin: Rondo in C major for two pianos, Op. 73

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit

Ravel: Sonatine

Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin

Ravel: Menuet antique

Ravel: Ma Mère l'Oye

Ravel: Pavane pour une infante défunte

Ravel: Valses nobles et sentimentales

Ravel: Prélude

Ravel: A la manière de Chabrier

Ravel: A la manière de Borodine

Ravel: Jeux d'eau

Ravel: Menuet sur le nom de Haydn

Ravel: Miroirs, 5 pieces for piano

Fauré: Piano Quartet No. 1 in C minor Op. 15

Fauré: Nocturne No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 63

Fauré: Impromptu No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31

Chopin: Polonaises Nos. 1-7

Chopin: Polonaise No. 8 in D minor, Op. 71 No. 1

Chopin: Polonaise No. 9 in B flat major, Op. 71 No. 2

Chopin: Polonaise No. 10 in F minor, Op. 71 No. 3

Chopin: Andante spianato & Grande Polonaise, Op. 22

Franck, C: Piano Quintet in F minor, Op. 14

Chopin: Trois Nouvelles Études

Chopin: Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49

Chopin: Barcarolle in F sharp major, Op. 60

Chopin: Tarantella in A flat major, Op. 43

Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 10 in A flat major

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 3 in F major

Chopin: Waltz No. 11 in G flat major, Op. 70 No. 1

Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29

Chopin: Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2

Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 18

Chopin: Scherzo No. 3 in C sharp minor, Op. 39

Debussy: Préludes - Book 1

Debussy: Préludes - Book 2

Debussy: Images pour piano - Books 1 & 2

Debussy: Masques

Debussy: Rêverie

Debussy: Arabesques (2)

 Excerpt, Debussy: Études pour piano (12)

Debussy: Berceuse héroïque

Debussy: Children's Corner

Debussy: Estampes (3)

Debussy: Suite Bergamasque

Debussy: Pour le piano

François, S: Magies noires

Saint-Saëns: Toccata d'après le 5e concerto

Debussy: Études pour piano: No. 8 'Pour les agréments'

Debussy: Études pour piano: No. 10 'Pour les sonorités opposées'

Debussy: Pour les accords

Schumann: Variations (Impromptus) on a Theme by Clara Wieck, Op. 5

Liszt: Valse-Impromptu, S.213

Liszt: Le Rossignol

Liszt: Sonetto 123 del Petrarca (Années de pèlerinage II, S. 161 No. 6)

Liszt: Transcendental Study, S139 No. 8 'Wilde Jagd'

Liszt: Transcendental Study, S139 No. 7 'Eroica'

Franck, C: Symphonic Variations for piano & orchestra, M46

Schumann: Piano Concerto in A minor, Op. 54

Prokofiev: Piano Concerto No. 5 in G major, Op. 55

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2

Liszt: Réminiscences de "Don Juan" (after Mozart), S. 418

Bartók: Piano Concerto No. 3, BB 127, Sz. 119

Chopin: Fantasia in F minor, Op. 49

Chopin: Impromptu No. 1 in A flat major, Op. 29

Chopin: Nocturne No. 2 in E flat major, Op. 9 No. 2

Chopin: Waltz No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 64 No. 2

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 35 'Marche funèbre'

Chopin: Ballade No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 47

Chopin: Nocturne No. 4 in F major, Op. 15 No. 1

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 10 in A flat major

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 5 in E minor

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 2 in F minor

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 12 in C minor ‘Revolutionary'

Chopin: Étude Op. 10 No. 5 in G flat major 'Black Key'

Chopin: Étude Op. 25 No. 9 in G flat major 'Butterfly'

Mozart: Piano Sonata No. 4 in E flat major K282

Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58

  • missing finale

Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15

Prokofiev: Piano Sonata No. 7 in B flat major, Op. 83

Liszt: Le Rossignol

Chopin: Waltz No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 64 No. 1 'Minute Waltz'

Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 18

Liszt: Piano Concerto No. 1 in E flat major, S124

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2

Schumann: Kinderszenen, Op. 15

Chopin: Polonaise No. 3 in A major, Op. 40 No. 1 'Military'

Chopin: Mazurka No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 7 No. 1

Chopin: Mazurka No. 6 in A minor, Op. 7 No. 2

Chopin: Mazurka No. 7 in F minor, Op. 7 No. 3

Chopin: Mazurka No. 20 in D flat major, Op. 30 No. 3

Chopin: Ballade No. 4 in F minor, Op. 52

Franck, C: Prélude, Choral et Fugue, M21

Fauré: Nocturne No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 63

Fauré: Impromptu No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31

Debussy: Danseuses de Delphes (from Préludes - Book 1)

Debussy: La fille aux cheveux de lin (from Préludes - Book 1: No. 8)

Debussy: La cathédrale engloutie (from Préludes - Book 1)

Debussy: Feux d’artifice (from Préludes - Book 2)

Debussy: Pour le piano

Schumann: Piano Sonata No. 3 in F minor, Op. 14 'Concerto Without Orchestra'

Schumann: Papillons, Op. 2

Ravel: Gaspard de la Nuit

Debussy: Suite Bergamasque

Chopin: Nocturne No. 3 in B major, Op. 9 No. 3

Chopin: Scherzo No. 2 in B flat minor, Op. 31

Chopin: Waltz No. 1 in E flat major 'Grande Valse Brillante', Op. 18

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