DESCRIPTION:
- Composer: Albert Charles Paul Marie Roussel (5 April 1869 -- 23 August 1937)
- Performer: Alain Raës
- Year of recording: 1979

Suite for piano in F sharp minor, Op. 14, written between 1909-1910.

00:00 - 01. Prélude
06:50 - 02. Sicilienne
12:42 - 03. Bourrée
17:28 - 04. Ronde

There is not much piano music in the catalog of Albert Roussel. He was a competent, but not a virtuoso, player of the instrument, and his piano music reflects this. It does not glitter or captivate in the way Ravel's piano music does, nor does it shimmer and glow like Debussy's. The four movements of this Suite, were written between 1909 and 1910. Typical of the period, the music harks back to the great French clavecenists, Couperin and Rameau. In the case of this work, the title's and their implied rhythms and tempi are derived from earlier times.

- The Prélude reminds this listener of a scene at sea. Roussel had been a sailor and one wonders if the repetitive bell sounds, the rolling accompaniments and the undeveloped melody are reminiscent of that experience. Midway through the movement the gears shift and the music becomes more assertive and wild, like a ship cutting through the water. A return to the gentler opening is like a return to shore, after an exhilarating run at sea.
- The Sicilienne which follows is propelled by the lilting triple time rhythm that characterizes this form. A somewhat ghostly trio section makes for an interesting contrast.
- The Bourrée is actually a Bourrée d'Auvergne, since the rhythm is in three instead of two. The trio section sports one of those rhythmically intriguing figures that are so frequent in Roussel's music.
- The final "Ronde" is a brilliant romp, with none of the shadows that are cast in the earlier movements.

It's a pity that this work has not achieved much in the way of a performance history. It deserves to be heard.