Est 1923

French piano music for four hands

Record and Artist Details

Composer or Director: Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Georges Bizet

Label: Philips

Media Format: CD or Download

Media Runtime: 56

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 420 159-2PH

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games' Georges Bizet, Composer
Georges Bizet, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Dolly Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Ma mère l'oye Maurice Ravel, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer

Composer or Director: Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Georges Bizet

Label: Philips

Media Format: Vinyl

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 420 159-1PH

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games' Georges Bizet, Composer
Georges Bizet, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Dolly Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Ma mère l'oye Maurice Ravel, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer

Composer or Director: Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Fauré, Georges Bizet

Label: Philips

Media Format: Cassette

Media Runtime: 0

Mastering:

DDD

Catalogue Number: 420 159-4PH

Tracks:

Composition Artist Credit
Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games' Georges Bizet, Composer
Georges Bizet, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Dolly Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Gabriel Fauré, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Ma mère l'oye Maurice Ravel, Composer
Katia Labèque, Piano
Marielle Labèque, Piano
Maurice Ravel, Composer
It would be hard to conceive of a more delightful and homogeneous collection of music for young people than the three sets of French works for piano duet recorded here by Katia and Marielle Labeque: Bizet's Jeux d'enfants of 1871, Faure's Dolly of 1893-6, written for Helene, the daughter of Emma Bardac (who was later to become Debussy's second wife), and Ravel's Ma mere l'oye of 1908, written for Mimie and Jean, the children of his friends Ida and Cipa Godebsky, in whose house the musical clique known as the 'Apaches' used to meet. The only thing missing is Debussy's Children's Corner, written for his daughter 'Chouchou' in 1906-8—but of course that is for piano solo, not duet.
It would be equally hard to imagine performances of more freshness, exuberance and charm than those given by the Labeque sisters. They capture the different moods of the 12 short movements of Jeux d'enfants to absolute perfection, whether in the swing of ''La toupie'', the gentle tenderness of ''La poupee'' and ''Petit mari, petite femme'', the galloping vigour of ''Les chevaux de bois'', the parade-ground pomp of ''Trompette et tambour'', or the sheer bravura of ''Sautemouton'' (listen to those dazzling triplets!). Dolly, too, is played with great affection and feeling, although the music itself is less sharply characterized than is Bizet's; while Ma mere l'oye is done with such an ear for colour that one can almost hear the clarinet and the contrabassoon singing their amorous diaglogue in ''Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete''; and the glittering scales at the end of ''Le jardin feerique'' literally take one's breath away. This is, in every way, a superb recital, vividly recorded.'

French piano music for four hands

Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games'

Dolly

Ma mère l'oye

French piano music for four hands

Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games'

Dolly

Ma mère l'oye

French piano music for four hands

Jeux d'enfants, 'Children's Games'

Dolly

Ma mère l'oye

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