Théodore Lack : Valse-Arabesque Op. 82

Lack (1846-1921) studied and later taught at the Paris Conservatoire. It was his pedagogical “Methode de piano“ of 1909 that introduced Debussy’s “Le petit negre“ to the world. This piece is one of the finest pieces of light French piano music from the late 19th century that I have come across, and I am confident that it would bring the house down at the end of any recital! It was dedicated to the pianist Léon Delafosse (1874-1951), whose portrait by Singer Sargent can be seen in the Seattle Art Museum. -