Marcelle Meyer

 This crowded portrait by Jacques-Emile Blanche (Dieppe's finest) shows the pianist Marcelle Meyer surrounded by five of the group of composers known as Les Six, plus Jean Cocteau and Jean Wiener. I must admit I had never heard of Marcelle Meyer until I was looking for different versions of Rameau's keyboard works – he's a composer I'm rather obsessed with – and discovered that she had made two remarkable recordings of Rameau in 1946 and 1953, and that they are available on double CD. I am now thoroughly immersed in that double CD (listening to music is one thing I can do in my depleted postviral condition – yes, it's still going on) and I am hugely impressed by her artistry: 'an imperious, serene sound imagination', as the translated liner notes say. Also 'a miracle of curved fluidity, polyphonic depth, variety of timbres and attacks'. Well, yes, true enough. She certainly brings Rameau fully alive, making the music sound fresh and new-minted. Here she is with 'Les Tendres Plaintes' – enjoy...