De Montgeroult: Complete Piano Sonatas

Featuring

Simone El Oufir Pierini
Hélène de Montgeroult

Did you know?

1/7

Compositional Technique

The Sonata in F minor, Op.1 No.3, by Hélène de Montgeroult features an uncommon element for its time: syncopation between the two hands throughout the entire piece.

Composer Biography

Hélène de Montgeroult, a renowned French composer, was appointed as the first-class piano teacher at Paris's newly-founded Conservatoire de Musique in 1795, becoming the first woman to teach there.

Instruments

The fortepiano used in this recording, a Johann Haselmann instrument from the first decade of the 19th century, was chosen to balance Classical formal strictness with the audaciousness of Montgeroult's melodies.

Historical Context

Hélène de Montgeroult lived during a tumultuous period in France, experiencing the French Revolution and suffering financial losses due to her noble background and marriage to Marquis André Marie Gautier de Montgeroult.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Although Hélène de Montgeroult is considered a forerunner of the Romantic era, her musical oeuvre demonstrates a strong attachment to the Classical legacy and an admiration for masters like Handel and J.S. Bach.

Composition History

Hélène de Montgeroult's Opus 1, a collection of three distinct piano sonatas, was likely connected to her 1795 appointment as a first-class piano teacher at the newly established Conservatoire in Paris.

Performer Biography

Simone Pierini, the fortepiano performer on this album, graduated with highest honors from the S. Cecilia Conservatory of Music in Rome and later specialized in historically informed piano practice.