Eugène Ysaÿe; Guillaume Lekeu - Lointain passé (Sylvia Huang; Éliane Reyes)

Information

Composer: Eugène Ysaÿe; Guillaume Lekeu

1. Lekeu - Sonate pour piano et violon en sol majeur: I. Très modéré
2. Lekeu - Sonate pour piano et violon en sol majeur: II. Très lent
3. Lekeu - Sonate pour piano et violon en sol majeur: III. Très animé
4. Ysaÿe - Deux mazurkas de salon, Op. 10: No. 1. Dans le lointain
5. Ysaÿe - Mazurka de concert, Op. 1
6. Ysaÿe - Grande valse de concert
7. Ysaÿe - Lointain passé, Op. 11
8. Ysaÿe - Deux mazurkas de salon, Op. 10: No 2. Mazurka
9. Ysaÿe - Extase, Op. 21
10. Ysaÿe - Rêve d'enfant, Op. 14

Sylvia Huang, violin

Éliane Reyes, piano

Date: 2021

Label: Fuga Libera

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Description

Violinist Sylvia Huang, a prizewinner at the Queen Elisabeth Competition in 2019, and Éliane Reyes, the renowned virtuoso pianist, present a new disc bubbling with elegance and femininity. Linked by a keen musical rapport and an irrepressible friendship, they declare their love for Belgian Romantic music, embodied by two emblematic composers: Eugène Ysaÿe, a natural musical companion whom every violinist has encountered or dreamt about, and Guillaume Lekeu, a dazzling musical genius taken from us all too soon. This recording reveals some skilfully chosen gems by Ysaÿe, including two unpublished early pieces, the Mazurka de concert and the Grande Valse de concert (the latter a world premiere). Lekeu is represented by the sublime Sonata for piano and violin, dedicated to Eugène Ysaÿe; the musicians had the opportunity to consult, with an almost fervent enthusiasm, the original manuscript in Verviers, the birthplace of both the composer and Éliane Reyes. A radiant disc, overwhelming in its sincerity.

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Eugène Ysaÿe (16 July 1858 – 12 May 1931) was a Belgian violin virtuoso, composer and conductor. He studied at the Royal Conservatory of Liège and later with Henryk Wieniawski and Henri Vieuxtemps. Ysaÿe gained international recognition through extensive tours and was professor of violin at the Brussels Conservatory from 1886 to 1897. Renowned for his technical brilliance, expressive playing, and innovative use of vibrato, he influenced and inspired numerous prominent composers. His most celebrated compositions include six sonatas for solo violin, alongside concertos, chamber works, and the opera Piér li Houïen.

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Guillaume Lekeu (20 January 1870 – 21 January 1894) was a Belgian composer. Born in Heusy, he began studying music at a young age and composed his first work at 15. Influenced by Richard Wagner, he later studied with César Franck and Vincent d'Indy. In 1891, he won second prize in the Belgian Prix de Rome for the cantata Andromède. His most celebrated composition, the Violin Sonata in G Major, was commissioned by Eugène Ysaÿe and premiered in 1893. Lekeu died of typhoid fever at age 24, leaving around 50 compositions and a number of unfinished ones, many of which remain highly regarded today.

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Sylvia Huang (born 1994) is a Belgian violinist. She studied at the Académie des Arts de la Ville de Bruxelles and later with Alexei Moshkov and Liviu Prunaru. An early prizewinner in national and European competitions, she performed with the National Orchestra of Belgium and later the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Huang gained international recognition as a laureate of the 2019 Queen Elisabeth Competition, where she also won two audience awards. Since 2023, she has served as concertmaster of La Monnaie Symphony Orchestra in Brussels and maintains an active solo, chamber and recording career.

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Éliane Reyes (born 1977) is a Belgian pianist. She demonstrated talent from an early age, giving her first recital at five. Her artistic development was shaped by influential encounters with György Cziffra and Martha Argerich, as well as studies at leading European music institutions. Internationally acclaimed, she has received numerous honors, including Belgium's Octaves de la Musique and multiple International Classical Music Award nominations. Reyes is known for her versatile repertoire, recordings, and innovative lecture-concerts. She currently teaches at the École Normale de Musique de Paris and the Paris Conservatoire.

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