There are fruitful contrasts in the works for piano and orchestra of these two French composers. Gabriel Fauré’s Ballade in F sharp major is graceful and serene but ends with a Lisztian flourish, whereas his neglected Fantaisie, though modestly orchestrated, is distinctive and characterful. Francis Poulenc, himself a gifted pianist, wrote his Piano Concerto for the Boston Symphony during his second American tour in 1949, full of alluring melodies and seductive orchestral colour. The ballet Aubade was composed for piano and 18 instruments with a scenario by Poulenc himself. It foreshadows the concerto while also revealing a Stravinskian influence.

Romain Descharmes has established himself as one of the foremost French pianists of his generation. Winner of the Dublin Competition (2006), he has appeared in concerts in the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Italy, France, Japan, China, among other countries.