César Franck

Franck turned to writing organ music only in his thirties, prompted not least by his appointment as organist at the Parisian Basilica Ste-Clotilde in 1858, a post he held until his death. He had played the organ at smaller churches in Paris before; the Six Pièces date back to that time and his first years at Ste-Clotilde; the core piece, Prélude, Fugue et Variation op. 18, with its extraordinary structure including a fugue as the central part, is dedicated to Camille Saint-Saens. Pastorale is de…

Violin and piano works by Ravel (Sonate posthume), Franck (Sonata in A major), Ligeti (Duo, first recording) and Messiaen (Thème et variations), played by Natascia and Raffaella Gazzana; recorded March 2017 at Auditorio Stelio Molo RSI, Lugano.