Intimate

CD Intimate Laurent Martin

Although his musical activity on CD, as in the concert sphere, is essentially devoted to little-known French Romantics, the pianist Laurent Martin has always been fascinated by Johann-Sebastian Bach, particularly the unique realm of his suites for solo cello, in which polyphony is recreated by layering aural recollections.
Hence, as a result of his habit of starting off the day with one of these suites played on the piano with the left hand, he has created a programme mainly dedicated to some little-played transcriptions, or to the Italian Concerto. Here, we will find versions of important Bach pieces by Harold Bauer, Alexandre Siloti, Wilhem Kempf and Busoni, interspersed with the Prelude and dances from Suite No 1. There is also Marcello's Adagio transcribed by Bach himself at a time when, fascinated by Italian virtuosity and their world of sound, he encompassed these fascinating techniques within his solo keyboard concerto, as would be done two centuries later by Charles-Valentin Alkan in his concerto for solo piano. This is a close and very personal portrait of one of the most amazing creators in the musical world.