Judith Ingolfsson / Vladimir Stoupel POULENC - FERROUD - RAVEL

There is one thing that all the three works here have in common: they stand out clearly from an entire French tradition of sonatas for violin and piano. Each, in its way, represents an affirmation of aesthetic independence as well as a fascinating and at times cruel or bitter reflection of its era. The sonatas of Poulenc, Ferroud and Ravel, without foregoing a lofty elegance, are freed from a certain number of rules and forms that had been long imposed.

Judith Ingolfsson and Vladimir Stoupel are both soloists with strong profiles, who search passionately for new paths in the intimate atmosphere of the chamber music recital. After the “Concert-Centenaire” trilogy this is the fourth CD of the renowned duo on the Accentus Music label.

Emmanuel Pahud SOLO

Interweaving the Baroque era and the 20th and 21st centuries, the newest addition to Emmanuel Pahud's Warner Classics catalogue is an imaginative 2-CD collection of music for unaccompanied flute. Among the composers are Telemann, Nielsen, Honegger, Varèse, Berio, Takemitsu, Pärt, Pintscher and Widmann. "Most of the pieces are about exploring new paths," says Pahud. "The power of this music often lies in the contrast between a simple line and the most refined complexities, between a note so quiet as to be barely perceptible and the loudest, most extreme notes playable on the instrument."