London-based Australian pianist Antony Gray has signed to the Divine Art label and will hit the markets with a resounding boom with three double-CD albums this year.
Two of those sets are filled with the magical and almost unknown piano music of Camille Saint-Saëns, comprising original works and also several fantasies and transcriptions of music from opera (his own and others), oratorio and cantata. While Liszt and several of his German contemporaries such as Thalberg have attained great fame for their operatic transcriptions, those of the French composer have largely been forgotten. This very extensive programme should rectify that and bring many fine works from the Romantic era into the wider consciousness. The first double CD and digital album is scheduled for release in July with the second following in the autumn (probably October).
The other forthcoming release is also set for July and is somewhat unique. It features works from a host of composers written specifically to be played by a piano teacher with pupils, beginning with Haydn’s obviously-titled ‘Il Maestro e lo Scolare’ and including the Easy Pieces by Stravinsky – the only work of this type to be considered ‘core repertoire.’ Antony Gray’s duet partners are 50 of his students ranging in age from ‘very young indeed’ to ‘quite senior’. The music may be relatively simple but is all a joy to listen to and hopefully an inspiration and repertoire-guide for other teachers and budding young pianists! What is also special about this disc is the ethnic diversity of the students which is as wide as that of London itself!
Antony Gray has long been regarded as one of the most interesting and communicative performers of his generation. His career to date has encompassed solo and chamber music performances around the world, as well as regular recordings for CD and radio. He has been a (selective) champion of contemporary music, and has premiered many pieces written for him. He has also championed many formerly neglected composers such as Enescu, Dussek, Martinů and Malcolm Williamson.
Recordings already released are the complete solo piano works of Eugene Goossens, Malcolm Williamson and John Carmichael, as well as the late piano pieces of Brahms, on ABC. A recital disc for the Spanish label KNS Classical was released early in 2005. He has also been involved in a disc of music by French composer François Sarhan (‘Hell, a small detail’) on the Zig Zag label as well as the Chandos Grainger series.
Album Details
Saint-Saëns: The Piano Music vol. 1 Opera, Ballet & Places
Label: Divine Art (recorded 2015 & later at BBC Maida Vale Studios; release date July 9, 2021)
Catalogue number: DDA 21235 (2CD / double digital album)
Artist : Antony Gray (piano)
WORKS (all by or arranged by Saint-Saëns)
CD1, Opera & Ballet transcriptions
- Javotte – Quatre pièces. 1 Bourrée, arrangé par le compositeur
- Javotte – Quatre pièces. 2 Scène et Valse Lent, arrangé par le compositeur
- Javotte – Quatre pièces. 3 Pas de deux, arrangé par le compositeur
- Javotte – Quatre pièces. 4 Allegretto – Allegro non troppo, arrangé par le compositeur
- Caprice pour le piano, sur les airs de ballet d’Alceste de Gluck
- Ascanio – deux transcriptions; 1 Danse du mendicant, arrangé par le compositeur
- Ascanio – deux transcriptions; 2 Danse de l’Amore, arrangé par le compositeur
- Valse du Prophète de Meyerbeer
- Henry VIII – Quatuor, transcription pour piano par l’auteur
- Paraphrase sur Mandolinata de E. Paladilhe
- Proserpine – Deux Pièces. 1 Prelude to act II, arrangé par le compositeur
- Proserpine – Deux Pièces. 2 Pavane, arrangé par Ph. Bellinot
- La Mort de Thaïs, Paraphrase de concert sur l’opéra de J. Massenet
- Scherzo, sur les Pêcheurs de Perles, de Georges Bizet
CD 2, Countries
- Suite Algerienne Op. 60 – Marche Militaire Française, a 2 mains par l’auteur
- Suite Algerienne Op. 60 – Rêverie a Blidah
- Lola Op. 116 – Tango
- Élégie Op. 160 pour Violon et Piano, transcription pour piano seul par l’auteur
- Rhapsodie d’Auvergne Op. 73
- Bénédiction Nuptiale Op. 9
- Une nuit à Lisbonne Op. 63
- Souvenir d’Italie Op. 80
- Paraphrase sur La Islena (Havanaise), mélodie de Paladilhe
- Souvenir de la Russie
Saint-Saëns: The Piano Music vol. 2 Oratorio, Bach & Milan
Label: Divine Art (recorded 2015 & later at BBC Maida Vale Studios; release date October 2021 tbc)
Catalogue number: DDA 21236 (2CD / double digital album)
Artist : Antony Gray (piano)
WORKS (all by or arranged by Saint-Saëns)
CD1: Oratorio
- Prélude du Deluge, Op. 45
- Serenade in E flat major, Op. 15
- Hymne de la Fête de Pâques, fragment de La Damnation de Faust, de Hector Berlioz
- Chant du Soir (Abendlied), Schumann, Op. 85 no 12. Transcription pour piano seul.
- Improvisation sur le Beethoven-Cantata de Fr. Liszt
- Andantino in C
- Molto Vivace in G
- Berceuse in E major, op 105
- Paraphrase sur ‘Gallia’ de Gounod
CD2 : J S Bach & L. de Milan
- Deux Fantaisies écrites pour le luth par Luis de Milan de Valence : No 1 in D
- Deux Fantaisies écrites pour le luth par Luis de Milan de Valence : No 2 in G minor
- Ouverture de la 28e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Adagio d’après le 3e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Andantino d’après le 8e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Bourrée de la 2e sonate de violon de J.S.Bach
- Andante de la 3e sonate de violon de J.S.Bach
- Presto de la 35e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Introduction et Air de la 15e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Fugue de la 5e sonate de violon de J.S.Bach
- Largo de la 5e sonate de violon de J.S.Bach
- Recitatif et Air de la 30e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Gavotte de la 6e sonate de violon de J.S.Bach
- Air de la 36e cantate de J.S.Bach
- Choeur de la 30e cantate de J.S.Bach
‘Il Maestro e lo Scolare’
Label: Divine Art (recorded 2015; release date July 9, 2021)
Catalogue number: DDA 21234 (2CD / double digital album)
Artist : Antony Gray (Maestro) and c. 50 of his students (lo Scolare)
Works:
- Petit Carillon (Emile Paladilhe)
- Il Maestro e lo Scolare (Joseph Haydn)
- Two Romances from Op. 111: Nos 1 & 2 (Carl Czerny)
- Le Maître et l’Elève, Op. 96 (Moritz Moszkowski)
- La mère et l’enfant, Op. 32 (Edouard Lalo)
- Seeing Russia with Teacher (Leo Ornstein)
- Dedicatoria, ‘A mi hijo Eduardo’ from Cuentos de la Juventud, Op 1 (Enrique Granados)
- Etudes à quatre mains pour un commençant, book 1: Nos 2 & 3 (Jean Roger-Ducasse)
- Un tas de petites choses dans tous les tons, book 1 (André Caplet)
- Une semaine de petit elfe Ferme-l’Oeil, ou Les songes de Hialmar, Op. 58 (Florent Schmitt)
- Petites pièces pour piano à 4 mains (Guy Ropartz)
- Steps (John Carmichael)
- Paraphrases, 24 Variations et 15 petites pièces pour piano sur le thème favori et oblige
- (Alexander Borodin, César Cui, Anatole Liadov & Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov)
- Three Easy Pieces (Igor Stravinsky)
- From the Stoep (Michael Blake)
- Napoli, from Travel Diaries (Malcolm Williamson)
- Five Easy Pieces (Igor Stravinsky)
- Avec un doigt (Bohuslav Martinů)
- Noch en Wiegenlied (Federico Maria Sardelli)
- Jaggamuffin (Erik Windrich)
- The Immovable Do / Zanzibar Boat Song / Ye Banks and Braes of Bonnie Doon (Percy Grainger)
- Bridge over the River Kwai (Malcolm Arnold, arr. Percy Grainger)
- Three Jazz Duets (Joe McGrail)
