André Mathieu was a Montreal piano prodigy, born in 1928, fêted in his early life, but later forgotten, even before his early death at 39. He did most of his composing between the ages of 4 and 21, as far as is known. Probably because of his age, expression is at the core of his music rather than form and structure, but despite his age, there is a level of maturity and sophistication in the expression. The pieces on this tribute album by pianist Alain Lefèvre are in the vein of works by Scriabin, Debussy, Ravel, and Rachmaninov: flowing, lyrical, impassioned, and with wide ranging, yet tonal, harmonies. Mathieu's most famous work, the Concerto de Québec, is here in a reduced, one-movement form, sounding like a piano reduction of an orchestral work, especially at the end where it is strikingly dramatic and loud. It follows the tradition of not only Rachmaninov, but the Tchaikovsky and Grieg piano concertos. There is also an orchestral scope to Printemps Canadien and Été Canadien, the works of an 11- or 12-year-old Mathieu. Printemps Canadien demonstrates Mathieu's ability to absorb and adapt other styles, combing lush Romanticism with jazz rhythms; while Été Canadien demonstrates his technical ease with the piano. Abeilles piquantes is reminiscient of Debussy and Ravel in its concise, precise, pointed depiction of bees jabbing a victim. If the works are somewhat derivative, they show a potential, supposedly unfulfilled, for greater compositions. Boris Petrowski's Fantasia is an homage to that lost talent, similar in scale to the Concerto de Québec. Lefèvre has something of an obsession about Mathieu's music, and he plays it lovingly. He is extremely comfortable with any technical difficulties, easily shifting mood, touch, and tone to make the music as evocative as possible. As wide-ranging as the emotion and drama are, Lefèvre's fine musical instincts make sure he never quite allows the music to become overly sentimental.
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