Francois-Rene Duchable gives a very convincing profile of Saint-Saens here as a piano composer to rank with Liszt. His music makes many virtuoso demands, often couched in a mood of a certain reserve and elegance. Opus 52 No. 2, for instance, has a yearning that never oversteps the bounds of shapeliness, yet gets to real feeling. This is the very essence of the study at its most inspired ... Saint-Saens ranges widely, writing some preludes and fugues here that do not look so pale next to those of Bach - they do have considerable power as well. The Etude en forme de valse is a masterpiece of its kind, and uniquely robust and life-affirming. Equally the reworking of the finale from the 5th Concerto - it certainly matches Liszt for unbuttoned elation and exploitation of the whole range of the keyboard. Duchable is very able, technically, and his versions do make you sit up and listen. He includes the wonderful Valse Gaie - also designed to test the player to the hilt - an amazing Mazurka, and the Allegro Appassionato. However listeners may prefer Piers Lane, who achieves slightly lower voltage but arguably has more charm and depth of tone. The slow way he builds the alternating chords in the first etude has a kind of wit at a steady tempo that is lacking in Duchable's all-out, pedalled onslaught. Lane sounds closer to a performance on a period piano, with a decorative music stand, probably in a mat case with bulbous legs, rather than the more modern instrument favoured by Duchable. Most important, Lane includes the set for the left-hand only, which is a vital part of the repertoire - more exploratory, arguably, than the earlier sets. Perhaps Bertrand Chamayou may be persuaded to record the three books of etudes, or maybe do a 2-disc set and do the Valse Gaie and other shorter masterpieces - he would help bring Saint-Saens to wider recognition as a composer for solo piano.
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