Ravel and the Basque Country have always been one and the same. His Concerto in G major is the central work of this album and is presented here in an original arrangement for piano and small ensemble. Pianist Aurèle Marthan also pays homage to his beautiful birthplace Guéthary, where he founded the festival Classic à Guéthary.
All the works recorded here illustrate the richness of a region cherished by so many artists: Stravinsky arranged his Petrouchka in Biarritz, Pablo de Sarasate chose to live there and Isaac Albéniz chose to spend his final days there. Another Basque celebrity, though on the Spanish side, is Alberto Iglesias, the house composer of director Pedro Almodóvar.
The Basque coast is often compared to California because of its excellent surf beaches; Aurèle Marthan evokes the Eagles, as well as his passion for American minimalists (Glass) and for film, with music from the films Amen and Waltz with Bashir; he also provides a piano version of the hit Sur la planche by the rock band La Femme from Biarritz. This album spans more than three centuries of music and contains music by Rameau and Couperin - the composer of La Basque! Guéthary was written especially for this recording by composer David Chalmin, who also produced the recording in his studio in the Basque Country.
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