Following the acclaimed Bach recording ‘Spira, Spera’ in early 2021, Emmanuel Despax releases a recording of his most treasured piano concerto alongside the BBC Symphony Orchestra under Andrew Litton. The concerto is paired with the 16 Waltzes (op.39) for piano four-hands, performed here with his wife and fellow pianist, Miho Kawashima.
“Recording Brahms’s Piano Concerto No. 1 is a childhood dream of mine, and it was wonderful to play it with such outstanding musicians. I have grown up with it, obsessively listening to all the recordings I could find for months on end, and it is hard to describe what this piece represents to me … I wanted to pair the concerto with the exquisite Sixteen Waltzes, Op. 39 for piano four hands, and show a more intimate side of Brahms. Each one is a different shade, a different mood, like daily entries in one’s personal diary. It was very special for me to be joined by my wife Miho Kawashima to record these charming and delightful pieces.” – Emmanuel Despax
“The French pianist Emmanuel Despax smoothly balances tension and novelty in the Piano Concerto No. 1 by Johannes Brahms with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. In the dramatic finale in particular, he achieves a wonderful aura of virtuoso elegance. He and his wife Miho Kawashima designed the rather introverted waltz cycle for piano four hands with noticeable empathy and excellent coordination, whereby the asymmetrically nimble phrases of waltz No. 6 in C sharp major are a highlight is. A clever combination”– Piano News