Album Notes

Paul Paray was a prodigious composer in his youth. He was the coveted Prix de Rome prize for composition in 1911. Before and after that time, he wrote many works for solo piano, many of them until now unpublished, although some were published by Jobert, Paris. The Fantaisie is a work of youthful energy and inspiration. After a solo piano introduction, the orchestra and piano engage in a musical collaboration in which two main themes are deeloped.

Among Paray's very first pieces is a work for piano, Scherzetto, recorded here. This work, along with a song was convincing proof of his talent so as to bring him to Paris to study at the Conservatory.

Pary's piano music is distinctively his own, even though it employs harmonic and melodic styles of his time. They are works of engaging interest for the listener, and of technical challenge to the performer.

Paray's last work was his Second Symphony in 1939, after which time he devoted himself to conducting orchestras around the world.