Ravel: Piano Concertos (with music by Massenet & Debussy)

BBC Music Magazine Awards 2012 - Orchestral WINNER

"The interpretations catch the ear with their blend of subtle phrasing, polish and unanimous zest...A group of charming solo piano miniatures by Massenet complements and at times connects with the styles of Debussy and Ravel, and Bavouzet plays them beautifully."
"the interpretations catch the ear with their blend of subtle phrasing, polish and unanimous zest...A group of charming solo piano miniatures by Massenet complements and at times connects with the styles of Debussy and Ravel, and Bavouzet plays them beautifully."
(Gramophone Award WINNER 2011 - Concerto)

"The ebullient French pianist Bavouzet scales the heights in this splendid and generous CD with the BBC Symphony Orchestra...The G major bounces along, though, with reflective asides not forgotten. In the Concerto for Left Hand, Bavouzet winningly balances the grandiose and jazzy."
(The Times)

"It is the particular mix that makes this disc so appealing...Albeit that the Fantaisie is an early work that Debussy himself seems to have shunned, this performance relishes its colour and élan."
(The Daily Telegraph)

"This stunning and generous collection belongs right at the top of the heap in its respective repertoire. The Debussy is still a comparative rarity in concert if not on disc, a remarkable fact given that it's wholly gorgeous from first note to last. Jean-Efflam Bavouzet's excellence as a Debussy pianist already has been acknowledged by just about everyone who has heard him, and needs no further advertisement here. The performance is outstanding, sensitive to every nuance, but also very French in its clear-eyed sensibility and understanding that focused rhythm and supple tempos prevent the music from turning excessively sentimental or blandly pretty. And in Tortelier, Bavouzet has a conductor who seconds him every step of the way."
(10/10 ClassicsToday Nov 2010)

"As he did in his performance of the Concerto for the Left Hand at the Proms in the summer, Bavouzet undervalues its growling intensity...He's much more at home in the glitter of the G major concerto, with his elegant, delicately tinted playing and Tortelier's deft accompaniments"
(The Guardian)