William Youn - Boulanger, Fauré, Hahn

William Youn's first orchestral album for Sony Classical in co-operation with Deutschlandradio Berlin is dedicated entirely to the exuberant flair of fin-de-siècle Paris with rare repertoire by Reynaldo Hahn, Nadia Boulanger and Gabriel Fauré - a musical excursion into the salons of the Belle Époque full of dazzling rediscoveries. For William Youn, these works for piano and orchestra are musical dialogues and narratives - conversations between soloist and orchestra in which melodies wander, inner voices are made audible and the partners merge musically. With clearly articulated brilliance, sensitive interpretation and highly virtuoso dexterity, William Youn lends this recording its very own character and recommends himself as a congenial orchestral soloist.

Together with the Rundfunk-Sinfonierochester Berlin and conductor Valentin Uryupin, William Youn performs Reynaldo Hahn's rarely heard piano concerto on this double album to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, which - although launched in 1930 - is still musically dedicated entirely to the beauty of 19th century sound. Composer grand signeur Gabriel Fauré, the 100th anniversary of whose death will be celebrated in 2024, acts as the centrepiece of this compilation.