The Brazilian pianist Magda Tagliaferro was one of the few musicians who made it to the top of the classical music scene in the first half of the 20th century. Her artistic path is paved with some of the

biggest names. Faure personally attended to the advancement of the gifted pupil of the Paris Conservatoire, who at the age of thirteen won first prize in piano and whose art was largely influenced by her teacher Cortot. She soon belonged to the illustrious circle around theComtesse Edmond de Polignac, the billionaire heiress of the sewing machine empire Singer and one of the most important patrons of the 20th century, whose salon hosted a veritable Who’s Who of Paris. This, of course, included icons such as Marcel Proust, as well as the elite of the music scene, as the Comtesse was "as much in love with music as the sewing machine

with fabric". Tagliaferro was an absolute exception during the 1920s and 1930s and played under every major conductor. She was well known to composers such as Ravel and Poulenc and friends with Reynaldo Hahn, who dedicated his piano concerto to her. A recording under the direction of the composer is included in this compilation of 17 original albums from the years 1931 to 1961; among them are real rarities, guarded jealously by collectors and extremely hard to come by. The artist, generously gifted with musicality, style and esprit, can be heard with compositions by Beethoven, Mozart, Faure, Schumann, Chopin, Saint-Saens, Weber, Mendelssohn, Debussy, Mompou, Albeniz, Villa-Lobos, de Falla and others.

Artists

Magda Tagliaferro (piano), Manoug Parikian (violin), Manoug Parikian (violin), Denise Soriano (violin), Denise Soriano (violin)

Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Francaise, Orchestre Pasdeloup, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Heitor Villa-Lobos, Reynaldo Hahn, Reynaldo Hahn