Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Berceuse, Fantaisie and Polonaise 'Heroic' François Dumont

• 1Fantaisie In F Minor, Op. 49: Tempo Di Marcia. (Grave.)12:50
• 2Nocturne No. 8 In D Flat Major, Op. 27 No. 2: Lento sostenuto06:02
• 3Scherzo No. 3 In C Sharp Minor, Op. 39: Presto con fuoco07:35
• 4Barcarolle In F Sharp Major, Op. 60: Allegretto. Poco pi & mosso09:09
• Piano Sonata No. 3 in B minor, Op. 58
• 5Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: I. Allegro maestoso13:56
• 6Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: II. Scherzo. Molto vivace02:27
• 7Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: III. Largo09:56
• 8Piano Sonata No. 3 In B Minor, Op. 58: IV. Presto, non tanto05:14
• 9Polonaise-Fantaisie In A-Flat Major, Op. 61: Allegro maestoso13:59
• 10Nocturne No. 13 In C Minor, Op. 48, No. 1: Lento06:22
• 11Polonaise No. 6 In A Flat Major, Op. 53: Maestoso07:37
• 12Berceuse In D Flat Major, Op. 57: Andante05:10
• Total Runtime01:40:17

Info for Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Berceuse, Fantaisie and Polonaise 'Heroic'

It’s by a beautiful fall morning that I had the pleasant surprise to discover on the radio François Dumont’s sparkling and light, flexible and incredibly sensitive playing. He then interpreted Gaspard de la Nuit by Maurice Ravel. An experience that rang in my ears for many months: in my view, few musicians had found such a beautiful balance in the different ranges of this piece. And from his playing a kind of evidence flashed, the pure pleasure of music.

Later, I met François Dumont at a concert in Paris where he interpreted the complete piano works of Mozart, and I was then fully convinced of his musical qualities. For me, each of his performances combines the exceptional attention to the development of the sound on one hand, and to the architecture, the form of the piece on the other hand.

I am pleased today to present his second album, entirely dedicated to Chopin, one of his favorite composers, and of whom he signs a staggering version of the Third Sonata in B minor, Op 58. You will be surprised, how under his fingers the music becomes all light and jubilation! (The producer)

Francois Dumont, piano

Instrument: Steinway D (1966) Recorded at L’heure bleue, Salle de musique, La Chaux-de-Fonds (Switzerland), 20th (Sonata), 21st (Fantaisie, Polonaise-fantaisie, Nocturne Op.48 No.1) & 22nd (Barcarolle, Berceuse, Polonaise ‘Heroic’, Scherzo No. 3, Nocturne Op.27 No.2) August 2010 Sound engineer, mixing and mastering: Frédéric Briant Microphones: Neumann M 150 - Preamplifiers: Prism Maselec MMA-4XR - Converters: Mytec 8X 192 ADDA Recording and editing using Pyramix Digital Audio Workstation.

François Dumont
French pianist François Dumont's international career has been launched by his success in major international piano competitions winning prizes in the Chopin International Competition in Warsaw, Queen Elisabeth Competition in Brussels, Clara Haskil Competition in Switzerland, the Hamamatsu International Piano Competition in Japan the Montecarlo Piano Masters, the Top of the world competition, Norway and the Cleveland International competition in the United States. In 2011 he has been nominated for the "Victoires de la musique", a major French classical music event. In 2012 he has received the Prix de la Révélation from the Syndicate of Music Critics in France.

François Dumont was fourteen years old when he entered the Paris Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique in Bruno Rigutto's class. He later studied with artists such as Murray Perahia, Leon Fleisher, Dmitri Bashkirov, Menahem Pressler, Andreas Staier and Fou Ts'ong, during masterclasses at the prestigious International Piano Academy Lake Como in Italy and works with William Grant Naboré as a recipient of the Theo Lieven Chair in Lugano Conservatory.

His recordings include the Complete Mozart Sonatas, two Chopin albums, a Wagner/Liszt CD, the complete Ravel piano music as well as the Complete Beethoven Trios.

He appears as a soloist with orchestras such as the Cleveland Orchestra and the Fortworth Symphony in the United-States, the Mariinsky Theater orchestra in St Petersburg, the Orchestre de Chambre de Lausanne (conductor Jesùs Lopez-Cobòs), Belgium National Symphony, Warsaw National Philharmonic (conductor Antoni Wit), Krakow Philharmonic, Montecarlo Philharmonic, Orchestre Philharmonique de Nice, Tokyo Symphony in Japan, Wuhan Philharmonic in China.

Also much in demand as a chamber music partner, he has played with violinist Augustin Dumay, violist Tabea Zimmermann, cellist Henri Demarquette, the Talich Quartet, Quatuor Voce, Quatuor Debussy and Quatuor Sine Nomine. In April 2014 he plays the Complete Brahms Sonatas with Augustin Dumay. François Dumont is a member of the Trio Elégiaque, with Virginie Constant and Philippe Aïche.

Highlights of the 2014-2015 season include a Japan Tour with the Mikhalovsky Theater Orchestra performing Tchaikovsky Concerto n.1, Mozart concerti K.271 and K.466 with the Orchestre Symphonique de Bretagne (to be released on CD), as well as the two Ravel Concerti in Lyon, Auditorium, with the Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Leonard Slatkin, which will be recorded for Naxos.

Booklet for Chopin: Piano Sonata No. 3, Berceuse, Fantaisie and Polonaise 'Heroic'