At the end of May the Atma Classique record Label released the debut recording by Canadian pianist Élisabeth Pion. Entitled “Femmes de Légende” this CD consists of music written by French composers that has probably not been recorded very often; or indeed at all. Piano miniatures by such composers as Melanie Bonis, Lili Boulanger and Henri Dutilleux feature prominently on the CD and are performed with a wonderful sense of delicacy, color, character and intimacy by Pion.
For those unfamiliar with the pianist Élisabeth Pion, she is now based in London and has been very active as a soloist, chamber musician, and artistic collaborator. She made her BBC Radio 3 broadcast debut in 2019, and Wigmore Hall solo recital debut in 2021. Closer to home she has performed with the Laval, and Victoria Symphony Orchestras, as well as the Arion Baroque Orchestra. Last year she was awarded the Jeunesses Musicales Choquette-Symcox Prize for Artistic Excellence.
The repertoire for “Femmes de Légende” is very much off the beaten path. For Pion this musical exploration is something that is very important for her. “I’m just someone who is very curious by nature. I love browsing on YouTube for pieces that I don’t know. The more I dig into the repertoire the more things there are.”
Three composers feature prominently on the CD. There is music written by the composers Melanie Bonis, Lili Boulanger and Henri Dutilleux. They are the primary focus, but there are also piano miniatures by the English composer Thomas Adès, Debussy, and there is even a little piece written by Élisabeth Pion herself.
One of the true revelations on the recording is a piano cycle written by Melanie Bonis. Her set of seven piano pieces called Femmes de Légende was composed over the span of fifteen years, and depicts seven fabled women; Melisande, Desdamona, Ophelia, Viviane, Phoebe, Salome and Omphale. All of these women are given a musical portrait through Bonis music. “I just thought it was very interesting to see how she was able to apply different colors, and different melodies to each one of those characters… to me they really came alive and I could see them. I thought she [Bonis] was able to extract the essence of each character,” explains Pion.
The interesting thing is that Melanie Bonis did not envision the pieces as a cycle. It was her Granddaughter that chose to group the seven pieces together, and Pion wanted to honor that decision. The effect is truly remarkable!
The other major cycle on the recording is a cycle called “Au gre des ondes” by Henri Dutilleux. The title translates to “By the waves” and is very much a play on words. Each one of these six delightful and utterly charming pieces were written for the radio. As Pion explains, “They were pieces he wrote for radio at the time… so it is about the wave length of sound.”
Pion has recorded all of the solo piano music by the composer Lili Boulanger for this CD. Surprisingly, although Boulanger was a somewhat prolific composer in her short life, her piano output consists of just five solo pieces.
In music history Lili is often associated with her sister the renowned composer and pedagogue Nadia Boulanger. Lili Boulanger died very young as the result intestinal tuberculosis at the age of 24. Her sister Nadia was a huge promoter of her sister’s music throughout her very long life and prolific teaching career.
“Lili’s music very much has a flavour of its own…to me it’s highly mystical. What is amazing about her music is the depth of it…for such a young person. There is some kinds of music that just take you into another world and to me her music is like that,” says Pion while describing Boulanger’s music.
Whether you are a fan of French music or not, “Femmes de Légende,” is a revelation! The sounds and kaleidoscopic color worlds created by the composers; combined with Élisabeth Pion gorgeous and thoughtful playing make this CD a must have. Hopefully these piano miniatures uncovered by Pion will be performed more frequently on the concert stage by other pianists!
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