New albums with works by Montalbetti and Debussy

ERIC MONTALBETTI | ORCHESTRAL PICTURES
Emanuel Pahud | Orchestre de la Suisse Romande | Jonathan Nott | Gürzenich Orchester Köln | Duncan Ward | Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo | Kazuki Yamada | Alpha Label | Release date: January 10, 2025
To listen, click here.

This album is wholly dedicated to works by the contemporary composer Éric Montalbetti. Emmanuel Pahud and the Orchestre de la Suisse Romande perform the Flute Concerto Memento vivere, a single-movement piece celebrating breath and life. Duncan Ward and the Gürzenich Orchester Köln present the final version of Ouverture philharmonique, a mini-concerto for orchestra that highlights the sections of the orchestra and their timbral combinations. Kazuki Yamada and the Orchestre Philharmonique de Monte-Carlo perform Éclair physionomique, a symphonic fantasy inspired by Paul Klee’s painting Physiognomischer Blitz.

OVERVIEW
Éric Montalbetti, born October 13, 1968, is a French composer who began composing at 11. However, it wasn’t until 2015, after stepping down as artistic director of the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France—a position he held from 1996 to 2014—that he began to publish his compositions. Montalbetti considers Debussy and Messiaen his musical heroes. He attended Pierre Boulez’s lectures at IRCAM and the Collège de France, developing expertise in serialism while cultivating a fascination for spectral music. His compositions, published by Durand and Allegretto, have been performed internationally by renowned orchestras, ensembles, and soloists.

Here you can listen to the concerto for flute and orchestra Memento vivere:

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THE NASH ENSEMBLE | DEBUSSY
Hyperion Records | Release date: January 10, 2025
To listen, click here.

The acclaimed Nash Ensemble dedicates its latest album to Claude Debussy. The recording opens with David Walter’s arrangement of Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faune for chamber ensemble (twelve players: single strings and winds, plus harp and crotales). Next come the three sonatas, which date from the composer’s final years and showcase the musicians’ skills as soloists: the sonatas for violin, cello, and for flute, violin, and harp. The program concludes with Debussy’s early string quartet. The ensemble demonstrates its versatility throughout the album, excelling in various formations: chamber orchestra, duos, trios, and quartets.

OVERVIEW
The Nash Ensemble, Chamber Ensemble in Residence at Wigmore Hall, has presented an annual themed series since 1979. In the 2024-25 season, the Ensemble celebrates its 60th anniversary with programs showcasing the breadth of music performed over the years, from Mozart to the avant-garde. Recognized as a leading figure in British music, the Nash has premiered over 300 new works, 215 specially commissioned. Recent chamber music releases on Hyperion include works by Fanny Mendelssohn, Clara Schumann, Max Bruch, and Ferdinand Ries.