Bach - Chromatic Fantasia & Fugue
Bach/Busoni - Chorale Preludes
Bach/Liszt - Prelude and Fugue in A minor
Liszt - La lugubre gondola
Liszt - St Francis of Paola walking on the water
Liszt - Mephisto Waltz
Lise de la Salle
Naďve V5006

Release date May 2005

At just sixteen, Lise de la Salle’s second recording has been recently issued on Naďve. She has continued her liking for somewhat unpredictable couplings of composers – this time it is Liszt and Bach (her debut disc was a Ravel/Rachmaninov coupling). The sleeve-notes (written by Manuel Brug) discuss the balance created by the pairing Bach and Liszt. He feels that this balance is also present in Lise de la Salle’s playing, and I’m sure that listeners would have trouble disagreeing with his comment. The French teenager has proven her ability to play a variety of styles, all in a remarkable way. This second offering (like her first) is simply astonishing. She has a touch and an interpretation that is far beyond her years. There is something understated about Lise de la Salle’s playing. This under-statement allows the music to shine through – without becoming frilly or too sweet. Her own interpretation is still there, but in a subtler form. The first work on this disc is Bach’s Chromatic Fantasia and Fugue in D minor. She carries this off with great ease. Within seconds of the piece starting, my attention was grabbed. It then became impossible to stop listening – each note seems to roll off her fingers effortlessly. The ornaments are light, and her fugue is beautifully balanced. The perfect transition from Bach to Liszt is presented by the Bach’s Prelude and Fugue in A minor that was originally written for organ, and then transcribed by Liszt. Whilst Lise de la Salle’s Bach has a lightness and gentility, her Liszt has a sobriety and depth that contrasts well with the first half of the disc. The final piece on the disc is Liszt’s Mephisto Waltz No.1, which combines the lightness and agility heard in the Bach with the depth and warmth found in the Liszt, thus creating a perfect finale to a perfect disc.

Reviewed by Ruth Squire