GISELE MAGNAN
contemporary French pianist

Gisele Magnan might be my find of the year.  What an extraordinary pianist she is, and I base this exclusively on the few works by Brahms presented here.  She was a pupil of Vlado Perlemuter, a wonderful French pianist of an earlier era, and one whose playing I love dearly.

After twenty-five successful years as a concert pianist and chamber musician, she founded and has dedicated herself to Les Concerts de Poche, a concert series that has grown from seven or eight concert per year to fity-five in regions all over France.  What a loss, and what a gain if the performances she offers are as good as her own.

Gisele Magnan's performance of the Brahms Handel variations is striking from the opening measures.  There is an enthusiasm and clarity to her playing that one rarely finds in the playing of Brahms, an essence of the young Brahms in adulation of the greatness of the musical past, and a vision of his own glorious musical future.  Gone is the image of the stodgy, elderly, cigar smoking Brahms with which we are all too familiar, and which has influenced, and marred in my opinion, so many performances of his magnificent music.

Oops, all these recordings have now been "removed from YouTube because "the YouTube account associated with these videos has been terminated due to multiple third-party notifications of copyright infringement." I guess the pianist won't mind not being brought to the world's attention, and for sure the recording company won't mind the loss of free advertising and potential sales. Too bad. Yuo will have to take my word for the fact that pianist is marvelous and should be much more widely known and loved. And so I am leaving this now silent page as a memorial to her supreme talent.

Cut off your nose to spite your face, anyone?

Brahms  Variations and Fugue on a Theme by Handel, Op 24

recorded in 1995

Part I