Le comble de la distinction

Recently named by the CBC as one of the 15 best Canadian pianists of all time, David Jalbert is featured in Le comble de la distinction, a recording devoted to the music of Francis Poulenc and Erik Satie, and his fourth solo album on ATMA Classique. The piano music of Poulenc is eclectic, often tongue-in-cheek, witty, even flippant, and unapologetically sentimental. David Jalbert’s selections for this new recording include Les Soirées de Nazelles, les Nocturnes, Mouvements perpétuels and the Improvisations cycle that pays homage to Édith Piaf and Franz Schubert. During the 1960s, Satie rose to prominence as a non-conformist—a warrior for musical freedoms and a champion for the abolition of established values. David Jalbert’s selections perfectly reflect Satie’s spirit: Les trois valses distinguées du précieux dégoûté and the famous Gymnopédies.