An eminent member the French musical establishment during the 1870s and 1880s, Louis Théodore Gouvy (1819⁠–⁠1898) wrote a large amount of piano music, much of it for four hands. The three Sonatas written in the 1860s reveal his considerable technical command as well as a flowing elegance, some of it reminiscent of Schubert and Schumann.

The eight world premiere recordings included in this programme are played from a treasure trove of unpublished manuscripts obtained by Geoffrey Burleson from the Bibliothèque national de France, each of them filled with strong and imaginative ideas. Further virtuosic rarities by Saint-Saëns (1835⁠–⁠1921) include a solo transcription of his exotic Africa for piano and orchestra, and fantasies on works by Beethoven, Gounod, Liszt, Bizet and others.

Robert Orledge’s research into Debussy’s (1862⁠–⁠1918) sketches and incomplete drafts has resulted in the unearthing and reconstruction of numerous lost masterpieces, the piano versions of which are given their première recordings here. Unknown versions of famous pieces such as La Fille aux cheveux de lin and an unused movement from Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien appear alongside the ecstatic Prélude de l’Histoire de Tristan. This uniquely valuable programme also includes the life-affirming suite for No⁠-⁠ja⁠-⁠li (Le Palais du Silence) with narration.

‘Everything I undertake misfires immediately. I produce dirty rubbish and that will accomplish nothing.’ So wrote Erik Satie (1866⁠–⁠1925) in 1903 during a period of transition that saw him produce the last of his Rose+Croix style music in Verset laïque & somptueux, but in making a living writing for the music halls, he also created hugely popular songs such as Je te veux. The works on this fourth volume of Satie’s complete solo piano music were written between 1897 and 1906. They include rare theatre music and tender waltzes that contrast with jaunty ragtime and pantomime dances.

Though he died in his mid-forties Benjamin Godard (1849⁠–⁠1895), a child prodigy who had entered the Paris Conservatoire at the age of ten, wrote prolifically in almost all genres. Stylistically he adhered to models such as Schumann and Chopin rather than aligning himself with Wagner. Spanning the breadth of Godard’s compositional career, this recording draws together a broad selection of piano works from the relatively early Trois Fragments Poétiques, Op.13, with their long-spun lyrical melodies, to later works such as the Fantaisie which demonstrates his more virtuosic side. Composed across two decades, the Nocturnes from the early 1890s are sometimes spiced with unusual harmonies and balance perfectly the differing demands of the salon and the concert hall.