Alexandre Tharaud

Perusing his immense expressive pallet, Alexandre Tharaud composes an itinerary where the freedom of Debussy’s Préludes dialogue with transcriptions of Bach and Dukas: all we ask is to be allowed to follow down this path where homage blends with the spirit of improvisation.

A pianist-transcriber, Alexandre Tharaud follows in the footsteps of the great Wilhelm Kempff when he embarks into the world of Bach, with a mix of piety and independence that would certainly not have displeased the Cantor of Leipzig. The latter, as we know, did not always compose his music for specific instruments, such that the transparency of the lute or the warmth of the flute can be reborn, intact, on the keyboard. Deeply moving, the aria Aus Liebe will mein Heiland Sterben, where the voice is interwoven with the flute, delivers the theological signification of the death of the Christ, with an intensity of which only Bach is capable. In counterpoint to these ecstasies from Bach, Alexandre Tharaud dips into Debussy’s first book of Préludes, where the phantasmic antiquity of “Danseuses de Delphes", the magnetic minimalism of "Pas sur la neige", the dreamy landscape of "La Cathédrale engloutie" and the epic zephyr of "Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest" seem to guide the fingers, from note to note, into a world of fantasy. And to conclude, another transcription, flamboyantly audacious: that of the ultra-famous Apprenti sorcier from Dukas, with the orchestral animation of its frenetic "balai enchanté" exploding with the power of a transfigured piano.

Piano Alexandre Tharaud

^{Photo © Marco Borggreve}

Johann Sebastian Bach
Chorus "Herr, unser Herrscher" (Johannes Passion BWV 245, transcription)
Sicilienne (Sonata for flute BWV 1031, transcription)
Suite BWV 818a
Prelude, Allemande, Courante, Sarabande, Menuet, Gigue
Aria "Aus Liebe will mein Heiland sterben" (Matthaus Passion BWV 244, transcription)
Suite BWV 996 for lute
Prelude, Allemande, Bourrée, Sarabande, Gigue (transcription)

(transcriptions Alexandre Tharaud)

Claude Debussy
Préludes
Danseuses de Delphes
Le Vent dans la plaine
Des pas sur la neige
La Cathédrale engloutie
La Fille aux cheveux de lin
Ce qu’a vu le vent d’ouest

Paul Dukas
L’Apprenti sorcier (transcription)