It's not British but...Parisian Piano Music: Filigrane

The word “Filigrane” can be defined in several ways. Most relevant to the present debut recording by Adriana von Franqué is “a goldsmith’s work made of an elaborate mesh of gold or silver thread.” This would be seen as finely wrought and graceful. It analogously describes much of the content of this disc which features a collection of music composed in Paris in the late 19th and early 20th century.

This remarkable recital opens with Lili Boulanger’s beautiful D’un vieux Jardin from Trois morceux pour piano which were completed in 1914. The mood is impressionistic and reflective, perfectly evoking the wistfulness of an “old garden.” The influence of Gabriel Fauré and Claude Debussy is never far away, though Boulanger brings her delicate sensibility to this piece.

Simon Laks is a new name to me. Briefly, he was a Polish Jewish composer, born in Warsaw in 1901. His early efforts were first heard in Paris. During the Second World War, he was arrested by the Germans and sent to Auschwitz. There he became the camp orchestra’s conductor. He survived the war, continuing to compose until his death in 1983. His music is traditional, sometimes neo-classical, and often tinged with romanticism: he eschewed the avant-garde. The Ballade “Hommage à Chopin” (1949) is a nod towards Laks’s native country. Presented in two distinct parts, the opening section is slow, certainly suggesting Chopin in his quieter moods. The second part is bravura: here we move “abruptly and stormily into jazz-like realms, unexpectedly striking up a mazurka.” It is not a pastiche or parody of Chopin: it could not be considered a “lost” work by the master. That said, it does come across as a remarkable synthesis of the older composer’s pianism, seen through the eyes of a mid-twentieth century traditionalist.

I was impressed by Adriana von Franqué shimmering performance of Noctuelles from Maurice Ravel’s suite Miroirs (1904/1905). It evokes the chaotic fluttering of moths during a warm night. It is characterised by complex and chromatic figurations that are at times scurrying, often delicate, and always challenging to play. The middle section is calm and chordal, thus creating its mood of repose. Noctuelles was dedicated to the poet and essayist Léon-Paul Fargue who was a member of the French avant-garde group, Les Apaches.

For me, the highlight of this recital is the sumptuous performance of Claude Debussy’s Estampes. The title refers to engravings printed from engraved copper or wooden plates. This was completed in 1903 and evokes a diverse range of cultures. The opening movement, Pagodes was inspired by Indonesian gamelans which Debussy had heard at the Paris World Conference Exhibition in 1889. The second number, La soirée dans Grenade, is another fine example of a Frenchman writing great Spanish-inspired music. It must be recalled that Debussy never got further into Spain than a day trip to San Sebastian. Here, he uses Arabic scales with guitar-like strumming to create a languid impression. The final Estampes is Jardins sous la pluie,” which sonically imagines a garden in Normandy during a rainstorm. Into this “toccata” the composer subtly introduces children’s songs. It has been described as the “musical equivalent…of a Pissarro or a Sisley.” In all three pieces, the pianist creates an imaginative and fulfilling interpretation.

Cesar Franck’s Prélude, Choral et Fugue, FWV 21 (1884) is solemn and sombre. The key of B minor seems to point up the grief-stricken impact of this work. On the other hand, there is nothing dull about the intensely rich chromatic harmony and delicious pianistic figurations. Originally conceived as a Prelude and Fugue, the Choral was added, mimicking the central sections of Bach’s keyboard toccatas. The entire work is based on a series of five motifs used through the three movements, with some returning in the final fugue. It is well-constructed, with internal self-referencing creating a satisfying cyclical structure that stretches classical forms. The performance here integrates the “floating soundscapes, chromatic lines and constant modulations” into a satisfying whole. This is especially prominent in von Franqué’s account of the Fugue. Overall, there is a good balance of contemplation and subdued passion.

The booklet states that Berlin-born pianist Adriana von Franqué is driven by “passion and curiosity.” She is “a winner of many prizes, including the “Jugend Musiziert” competition and was awarded the Butterfly Communications Piano Prize, the Classical Music Prize of the Rotary Club of Berlin, and second prize at the Elise Meyer Competition in Hamburg.” She has performed in Europe and North and South America. An important motivation for her is making classical music accessible and to this end she is involved with educational projects.

The liner notes are most helpful: they are written in a chatty, rather than analytical, manner in the form of a journey round Paris. The recording is well defined and clear. The overall impact of this delightful disc is well summed up in the advertising publicity: “The result is floating, atmospheric, finely crafted music that seems to incorporate the Tuileries Garden, the banks of the Seine, or the intricate lacework of the Eiffel Tower...”

Track Listing:
Lili Boulanger (1893-1918)
D’un vieux Jardin from Trois morceaux pour piano (1914)
Simon Laks (1901-83)
Ballade “Hommage à Chopin” (1949)
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Noctuelles from Miroirs, M.43 (1904/05)
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Estampes (1903)
César Franck (1822-1890)
Prélude, Choral et Fugue, FWV 21 (1884)
Adriana von Franqué (piano)
rec. 17-19 July 2023, Festeburgkirche Frankfurt am Main, Germany
Genuin GEN 24867

With thanks to MusicWeb International where this review was first published.