Sébastien Érard (1752-1831) came to Paris as an eager boy of sixteen. In 1777 he built the first ever French piano. He became a brilliant instrument maker (pianos, harps, organs), and patented numerous improvements for the piano which are still in use. It wasn’t long before he had factories in both Paris and London: Érard became one of the biggest brands of the 19th century. Famous Érard owners included Haydn, Beethoven, Mendelssohn, Heller, Chopin, Liszt, Alkan, Franck, Fauré, Chausson, and Ravel. This release is recorded on a London Grand Érard from 1863. “I thought it would be fun to put together a labyrinthine programme, in which you could always take a different path after each piece and create new stories. This [album] is just one example, and everything takes place within the ranges of Érard.” (Ksenia Kouzmenko)