Bertrand Chamayou

Good Night! Bertrand Chamayou

"The lullaby's place is halfway between dream and reality," says Bertrand Chamayou, "There is that special moment as you are falling asleep and you experience all kinds of emotions."

The sixteen lullabies - or berceuses - that the award-winning French pianist has chosen for Good Night! form a captivatingly varied album. His programme embraces a diversity of eras and musical cultures: Chopin, Liszt, Grieg and, of course, Brahms through Balakirev, Lyapunov, Alkan, Bonis, Busoni, Janácek, Martinu and Villa-Lobos to Helmut Lachenmann and a world premiere, Bryce Dessner's Song for Octave. (Octave is the name of Dessner's young son. Bertrand Chamayou is himself the father of two young children - and, as it happens, something of an insomniac.)

"I had played some of these pieces," continues Chamayou, "but some of them were new discoveries ... Once the concept for this album was clear in my head, I did a lot of research, which revealed some real musical jewels." A satisfying recital that will also enrich digital playlists, Good Night! has been recorded in Dolby Atmos immersive sound.