ALEXANDER TANSMAN (1897-1986): Concertino for Piano and Orchestra, Pièce Concertante for Piano Left Hand and Orchestra (rev. and orch. Piotr Moss [b.1949]), Stèle, Élégie.

Description: This is not only the first recording but also the first performance of the 1943 Pièce, originally intended for Paul Wittgenstein but even more diabolically hard to play than Ravel's left-hand concerto. Moss produced this performable version and orchestrated it in 2008. The 1931 Concertino is in the bright, brash, jazzy mode which prevailed in Paris between the wars while the remaining two works are in memoriam pieces: Stèle for Stravinsky in 1972 and Élégie for Milhaud in 1975, each weaving in quotes from the composers' catalogues (only one in Milhaud's case but several of Stravinsky's). They are somewhat beyond models of their type given Tansman's close friendship with both composers for most of the century - this is personal. Christian Seibert (piano), Brandenburg State Orchestra Frankfurt; Howard Griffiths.