Katia and Marielle Labèque: 55 album review
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- Katia and Marielle Labèque released a three‑disc tribute set that mixes new recordings with classic repertoire, spanning 20th‑century modernism, minimalism and jazz.
- Ravel is featured with a new four‑hands recording of Le Jardin Féerique from Ma Mère l’Oye, alongside works by Bizet, Fauré (two Dolly Suite movements) and Stravinsky’s Dance of the Earth.
- Debussy appears via his Fêtes, transcribed by Ravel, and Dutilleux’s two‑piano transcription of Clair de Lune is also included.
- Fanny Mendelssohn and other female composers such as Lili Boulanger, Grażyna Bacewicz, Dora Pejačević and Margaret Bonds receive prominent placement, many with newly recorded pieces.
- Berio and other contemporary composers like Cage, Arvo Pärt, Philip Glass and Bryce Dessner contribute new works, with Dessner’s Goiza Larrunen singled out as a standout.
- Messiaen bookends the set, with the duo’s original 1969 recording of Visions de l’Amen and the concluding track Amen de la Consommation.
- Apple Music streams the album, and it is also available on Spotify.
Why it matters: Fans and the streaming platforms benefit from the duo’s expansive, genre‑spanning collection, which shines a spotlight on under‑represented female and contemporary composers, likely driving more streams and broader recognition for those works, and may encourage further recordings of similar repertoire, reinforcing the duo’s role as curators of diverse piano literature.
