Joel Hastings - Jean Roger-Ducasse: Piano Works

Jean Roger-Ducasse was a close friend of Debussy and a composer of considerable reputation in his day, one critic declaring that �all the best qualities of the French musician are combined in him � an abundantly rich imagination, clear and deep thought� and unerring taste.� These qualities are found in piano works that range from exquisitely colorful wartime pieces such as Sonorit�s, the playfully virtuosic games of Rhythmes, in Barcarolles both dreamy and dramatic, and to a final innovative Romance that constantly seems on the brink of wandering away from tonal harmony.