Le Bœuf sur le toit. Tharaud.

Piano International (Jan, 2013)
Alexandre Tharaud’s new Virgin Classics album Le Bœuf sur le Toit is a 26-track evocation of ‘Swinging Paris’ built around arrangements or compositions by Clement Doucet and Jean Wiener (who between them contribute 12 pieces, including four joint arrangements for two pianos). Doucet’s Chopinata is a fun foxtrot based on Chopin themes as is his Liszt skit, Hungaria. However, Isoldina trivialises its Wagnerian material, showing poor musical judgment. Milhaud’s title-track appears only by virtue of the extracted Tango des Fratellini (its most famous passage, for sure) as does Caramel mou, one of several tracks to include guest performers: here tenor Jean Delescluse. An ethereal-sounding Natalie Dessay turns up in Wiener’s Blues …