Gradus Ad Parnassum - Jean Rondeau - Audio CD (Arrives in 50 days)

Jean Rondeau aspires to Parnassus, the mythological mountain home of the Muses, as he explores the possibilities of the harpsichord in music written over a period of more than 400 years – much of it for the piano.

He pays tribute to the Austrian composer Johann Joseph Fux, who in 1725 published the original Gradus ad Parnassum, an influential treatise on counterpoint, and to Muzio Clementi, whose similarly titled collection of piano studies came a century later. The theme continues with Debussy’s Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum, an affectionate parody of Clementi from the Children’s Corner suite. The album’s scope extends to the Renaissance (Palestrina) and to works conceived for the piano by Haydn, Mozart and Beethoven.

As Jean Rondeau has explained: “I don’t like to limit myself to a single repertoire or period in the history of music. On the other hand, it is a great challenge!” Meanwhile, Gramophone magazine has observed Rondeau’s “affinity for [the harpsichord] and a comfort in its presence that allow him to see its possibilities rather than its limitations”.

Tracklist

1. Palestrina: Ricercare Del Primo Tuono
2. Fux: Harpeggio
3. Haydn: Piano Sonata N.31 In A-Flat Major Hob Xvi:46
4. Haydn: Piano Sonata N.31 In A-Flat Major Hob Xvi:46
5. Haydn: Piano Sonata N.31 In A-Flat Major Hob Xvi:46
6. Clementi: Gradus Ad Paranassum Op.44 No.45 - Andante Malinco
7. Beethoven: Praludien No. 2 For Piano or Organ Op. 39
8. Debussy : Children's Corner: Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum
9. Beethoven: Prelude In F Minor Woo 55 (Transcription)
10. Clementi: Gradus Ad Paranassum Op.44 No.14 - Adagio Sostenut
11. Mozart: Fantaisie In D Minor K. 397
12. Mozart: Piano Sonata No.16 In C Major K.545 Sonata Semplice
13. Fux: Ciaccona In D Major K. 403
14. Palestrina: Ricercare Del Secondo Tuono

Label: Plg | Origin: Holland