NICOLAS BACRI (b.1961): Diletto classico, Op. 100, Piano Sonata No. 2, Op. 105, 2 Esquisses lyriques, Op. 103, Prélude et fugue, Op. 91, Petit prélude, L'Enfance de l'Art, Op. 69/1, Petites variations sur un thème dodécaphonique, Op. 69/3.

Description: Bacri's rigorous sense of form at the service of highly expressive emotional content is amply displayed in these piano works. The sonata is a satisfyingly substantial and serious work, tough and virtuosic, while the Diletto classico pieces explore Baroque and Classical forms in respectful, light-hearted pastiche. The music, especially the smaller character pieces, is firmly grounded in tonality, and the composer displays a flair for inventive fugues among his various treatments of traditional structures. A couple of earlier works show him influenced by serialism and atonality, both absorbed into his own evocative and poetic style. Eliane Reyes (piano).