Album insights
The Pedal Grand Piano was initially created as a practice instrument for organists, freeing them from relying on churches. Its development also piqued the interest of composers like Schumann, Liszt, and notably Charles-Valentin Alkan, who showcased virtuosic performances at the Érard piano maker's salons. In 1875, Gounod attended one such event to hear Alkan premiere a Fantaisie by Saint-Saëns. Just a decade later, having shifted focus from opera to sacred music and instrumental repertoire, Gounod composed four pieces for the Pedal Grand Piano, inspired by the talent of young Lucie Palicot. She performed works by Bach, Alkan, and Guilmant in Paris's Salle Pleyel on March 6, 1882.
The visual spectacle was as captivating as the artist's talent. Musicologist Paul Landormy later described it, highlighting a graceful figure skillfully engaging with the large instrument's pedals, resembling an organ's pedal keyboard. Lucie Palicot (nee Schneckenburger) left her career around 1895 after marrying her second husband, David Gilmon Henderson.
The Fantaisie sur l'hymne national russe, a rearrangement of Lwoff's "God Preserve the Czar," was performed in November 1885 by Lucie Palicot in Paris. The orchestral version premiered in February 1886 under Édouard Colonne at Théâtre du Châtelet. The piece's thematic choice remains a mystery in Gounod's motivations.
With an intricate structure, Gounod's Suite concertante in A major premiered in Bordeaux in 1887 and showcased in London later that spring. The work exudes neoclassical elements, flowing from festivities to meditative themes with piano arpeggios and rich orchestral textures.
Another shift in tone comes with the Concertante Danse roumaine and the unpublished Concerto for Pedal Grand Piano, where Gounod displayed a clearer emphasis on the pedal's contribution, creating a distinct continuity within the pieces.
The Allegro moderato of the Concerto launches in a Beethoven-esque heroism, leading to a captivating second theme battle between piano and orchestra. The Scherzo offers a spirited interplay between the soloist and orchestra in playful exchanges. In the Adagio ma non troppo, evoking a funeral march, poignant melodies emerge before a final movement rich in orchestral timbres and rhythmic vitality.