With Baroque Encores the French pianist David Fray brings together 19 short pieces that exemplify the beauty, charm and expressive power of music from the earlier part of the 18th century. Behind them is a fascinating, though sad story from later in the same century – the 1780s and the period leading to the French Revolution. The music is by five of the greatest composers of the Baroque period – JS Bach, Handel, Rameau, Couperin and Scarlatti – and by the lesser-known Pancrace Royer, who was music master to the children of King Louis XV of France. Several pieces are performed in arrangements by such figures as Ferruccio Busoni, Wilhelm Kempff, Alexander Siloti and Bruno Monsaingeon (best known as a director of music documentaries).

The programme of Baroque Encores derives from L’Enfant oublié, a biographical concert combining narrative and music which David Fray staged in collaboration with his wife, the actress-writer-director Chiara Muti. It tells the story of Louis-Joseph, the eldest son of Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette, and heir to the throne, who died in 1789, aged just seven, a few weeks before the storming of the Bastille. “In the Baroque repertoire an atmosphere has to be created in a very short space of time,” explains Fray.

“Each and every detail of the writing is of huge importance in order to create an ambience immediately. I chose each of these pieces for the emotional impact they are able to create in a few moments. I was also keen to demonstrate the range of the piano and all the possibilities the modern instrument has to offer in these Baroque pieces … all the nuances of dynamics, of articulation, of colours or use of the pedals … Music is a living art; if it is to be a reflection of life, it needs to incorporate natural variations.”

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Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

Condition	Description
New	Brand new item, only ever sourced from the official UK distributor. Usually seal-wrapped, although a minority of labels do not use seal-wrap.
Used - Mint	Used item in excellent condition. Not usually seal-wrapped.
Used - Good	Used item with some minor signs of wear and tear. Never seal-wrapped.
Used - Acceptable	Used item with obvious scuffs or cosmetic damage to the case or booklet. Never seal-wrapped.

David Fray: Baroque Encores

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