A child of his time, revelling in prestidigitation for its own sake like so many of the fashionable itinerant virtuoso-composers of the day? Yes, yet constantly your breath is taken away by some unpredictable and wholly individual this or that-like the lilting tempo di valse ending the Schweizerbub Variations, or the melting quasi-nocturne in D flat in the course of the Herold-inspired set. And how memorably the Op. 5 Rondo stands out from its fellows by reason of its inspiration in the mazurka. The six little Mazurkas themselves are no less memorable for their young composer's relish of the modal and rhythmic traits of this Polish peasant dance. His poetic contribution to the composite "Hexameron" Variations on I Puritani (initiated by Liszt) is another two minutes to treasure on this disc, which ends with a racy four-handed jeu d'esprit (in which Biret is joined by her producer, Martin Sauer) written at 16 for a school-friend.
The first disc, too, is not without its off-beat adventure, including the 19-year-old composer's first funeral march. But for the most part Biret keeps to familiar paths here, reaffirming herself as a player of great spontaneity and spirit even if in the Ballades she is inclined to over-respond to the impulse of the moment (often when picking up tempo after relaxation) at the expense of their larger contour. The F minor Fantasie seems to need a slightly slower, more deeply tranquil middle section. But its ending really 'speaks', as do all the minatures at the end.
