Although now largely forgotten, Rhene-Emmanuel BÃ¢ton (1879-1940) was a key figure in Parisian musical circles during the early 1900s. Rhene-Baton, as he was later known, was born in Normandy to a Breton family. But trained at the Paris Conservatoire to become a composer, pianist and conductor. A meeting with Serge Diaghilev led to the engagement to conduct the Ballets russes on tour, and as a conductor he was the subject dedicatee of several works such as Roussel's Second Symphony. Meanwhile Rhene-Baton continued to compose, and it was through his own music that he felt most free to express his Breton identity. Almost all the chamber music presented here dates from the years 1921-27. Both the Cello Sonata and Violin Sonata call for piano playing of great virtuosity, probably because Rhene-Baton intended those parts for himself, while the melody line unfolds in a mode of archaic, neoclassical lyricism. The peak of his achievement in the chamber-music genre, however, is the A minor Piano Trio, composed in 1923. The second movement is a 'Divertissement sur un vieil air Breton' - the 'vieil air' in question being Gwin ar c'hallaoued' (the wine of Gall), one of the best-known Breton tunes. The Suite Ancienne (1933) is different in character: a collection of dances like a Baroque suite (Prelude, Aria, Gavotte, Gigue). The more intimate mood of this chamber repertoire evokes a series of everyday musical scenes: interiors, winter hearths, summer festivities and ancient celebrations in which Rhene-Baton is both narrator and participant. Founded in 2009, the Wolferl Trio comprises three Italian musicians all with distinguished careers as performers and teachers in their own right.

Tracklist:

Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 24: I. Allegro Non Troppo - Allegro Vivo Assai
Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 24: II. Larghetto
Violin Sonata No. 1, Op. 24: III. Allegro Vivo
Violin Sonata No. 2, Op. 46: I. Allegro Comodo
Suite Ancienne, Op. 55: I. Prélude
Suite Ancienne, Op. 55: II. Aria
Suite Ancienne, Op. 55: III. Gavotte
Suite Ancienne, Op. 55: IV. Gigue
Cello Sonata, Op. 28: I. Andante Tranquillo - Allegro Vivo E Agitato
Cello Sonata, Op. 28: II. Andante Un Poco Maestoso
Cello Sonata, Op. 28: III. Allegro Vivo - Largo E Maestoso
Piano Trio, Op. 31: I. Lento - Allegro
Piano Trio, Op. 31: II. Divertissement Sur Un Vieil Air Breton
Piano Trio, Op. 31: III. Andante - Allegro Vivace E Agitato

UPC: 5028421955544
Label: Brilliant Classics
Release Date: 7.5.19
Format: CD

Baton / Micucci / Mansueto - Chamber Music Piano & Strings (CD)