Belle �poque comprises Hahn's complete works for two pianos and piano duet performed by Leslie Howard and Mattia Ometto.
Howard and Ometto plead the case for a long overdue revival of Hahn's instrumental music, which so enchanted the salons of early 20th Century Paris, with these exquisite performances. The interplay between two pianos is notable in the music of the first CD while the mastery of sonority and seamless lines are features of the piano four hands music of the second CD. Howard suggests that it is as though the music was conceived with one pianist with four hands in mind.
Hahn was the ultimate child virtuoso, admitted to the Paris Conservatoire at 10 where he became a composition student of Massenet. As a composer from the outset his peers were awed by his singular gift. It is reported that the great Victor Hugo wept when he heard the setting of one of his poems by the 16-year-old Hahn. Hahn's charm and social graces allied with his musical gifts gave him entr�e into Paris's finest salons into which he introduced his friend and lover Marcel Proust.
Leslie Howard is a towering musical genius and one of the most prodigious pianists working today. His passion for new musical experiences shines through in performances which combine a formidable technique with a wealth of scholarship illuminating both rare and mainstream repertoire. He has presented more world premiere performances than any other living pianist earning him an entry into the Guinness Book of World Records.
Mattia Ometto is the winner of several international prizes in Europe and United States and is establishing himself as an artist whose gifts hark back to the Golden Age of classical piano performance. He has received acclaim from the world's most distinguished performers and commentators:a pianist with a marvellous sensitivity, one of those artists whose responsibility is to make audiences perceive what real talent is Aldo Ciccolinia true artist, a poet of the piano Viorel Gheorghe � Los Angeles Lyric Symphony Orchestra
