4 CONCERTOS FOR PIANO & ORCHESTRA

Encouraged, from his earliest years, by L. Adam (his godfather)), Fétis and Grétry, L.J.F. Hérold entered the Paris Conservatory at the age of eleven. He will have as teachers L. Adam (piano), Kreutzer (violin), Catel (harmony) and Méhul (composition).

Hérold lived in Naples, Austria, Germany and Switserland. During these stays he will have profitable contacts: Beethoven, Hummel ...

In 1813, he won the Grand Prix de Rome. Returned to Paris, Boieldieu took him as an assistant for a circumstance work: "Charles de France", 1816. In 1826 he becomes vocal coach at the Opéra of Paris. In 1832 Hérold composes an opera: "Le Pré aux clercs", considered as his masterpiece.

From 1811 to 1813, Hérold gets down to writing the 4 concertos for piano and orchestra. In this respect Hérold is the first French composer to write for the piano forte in his country.

These four concertos from a whole, of which the last chord of the 4th concerto constitutes the outcome. In his concertos Hérold proves to be a marvellous melody writer. In fact Hérold, a "classic" composer, but already "romantic" at some moments, astonishes by his melodic inventiveness. The discovery of the manuscripts of these concertos at the National Library of Paris has allowed to save these works from an unforgivable omission.

Bernard Boetto has done work of "musical palaeographer" while presenting us a quite legible material. The 4 concertos on this recording are a "world première". So a tribute is paid to this unjustly unrecognized composer.

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