Pierre Sancan - Toccata (audio + sheet music)

Pierre Sancan (24 October 1916 in Mazamet – 20 October 2008 in Paris) was a French composer, pianist, teacher and conductor. Along with Olivier Messiaen and Henri Dutilleux, he was a major figure among French musicians in the mid-twentieth-century transition between modern and contemporary eras; but outside France his name is almost unknown.

Born in Mazamet in the South of France, Sancan began in musical studies in Morocco and Toulouse before entering the Conservatoire de Paris where he studied with Jean Gallon, and where he took conducting with Charles Munch and Roger Désormière, piano with Yves Nat, and composition with Henri Busser.

In 1943, he won the Conservatoire's Prix de Rome for composition, with his cantata La Légende de Icare, but did not assume a regular teaching post there until 1956 when his former master Yves Nat retired. Sancan held this job until his own retirement in 1985. He lived another 23 years, to the age of 92, but his later years were compromised by Alzheimer's Disease.

As a pianist, Sancan was most prominently seen in his role as accompanist to the great cellist André Navarra. And his recordings of Ravel's two piano concertos with conductor Pierre Dervaux, and Mozart 4-hand Concertos with Jean-Bernard Pommier, were highly praised upon their release in the 1960s, but are now deleted.

As a piano teacher, Sancan helped to train such luminaries as Michel Béroff, Selman Ada, Abdel Rahman El Bacha, Emile Naoumoff, Jean-Bernard Pommier, Daniel Varsano, Jean-Efflam Bavouzet, Jacques Rouvier, Jean-Marc Savelli, and Jean-Philippe Collard who has recorded Sancan's Piano Concerto. Sancan's Sonatine for flute and piano (1946) is his best-known work, and has been a popular staple for flute players since its publication, but little else of his oeuvre is well known. Sancan also composed a Violin Concerto, at least three ballets, a Symphony for Strings (1961), and an opera Ondine (1962). Some of his shorter piano pieces, such as Boîte à musique and the Toccata, have caught on as encore pieces.

Sancan sought to reconcile contemporary performance techniques with the harmonic language of Debussy, a composer of whom Sancan was an expert interpreter.

(Wikipedia)

Please take note that the audio AND the sheet music ARE NOT mine. Change the quality to a minimum of 480p if the video is blurry.

(Performance by: Werner Haas)
Original sheet music: I forgot the exact link, sorry.

[Ksamp]

Just got the sheet music for this piece and started reading through it. Initial impressions are that the real difficulty is getting up to the proper tempo. The most technically challenging part is actually the middle section (moins vite meaning "less fast or lively). Overall the piece fits quite well under the fingers, which makes playing this piece a bit easier than it looks.

[MinYangLeong]

When the exam is at 9 am but just woke up at 8:45 am.

[NOSEhowLIV]

I had this excellent LP of Toccatas, now lost; haven't heard it for years. Great to find it here with the added bonus of the score. Thank you.

[michelangelomerisi]

Thank you for posting this. I didn't know that composer and that pianist.

[christanquerey]

pierre sancan is a famous french pianist teacher and composer; these Toccata hs been edited by Durand ed.in 1943

[diverben]

This is unbelievably difficult. great job by Haas.

[MrInterestingthings]

Sancan is indeed interesting! One of the very best Brahms concerto no.2 is Werner Haas with Karajan I was astounded when I first heard it !

[OmgEinWahnsinniger]

The first thing I asociate with this music is a pokemon battle haha :D 

[bifeldman]

I guess it’s good to remember a piano is played with hammers. It was good to hear that piece once.

[TempodiPiano]

I like all toccatas, even if I don't know the name of the composer.

[__.b_]

When you're really really really late

[eurisko]

The only recordings of Werner Hass I know of were his complete Ravel and Debussy sets. I discovered these (the LPs and the music) when I was a teenager and they blew me away! Hass opened my mind to a whole new world of fantastic music. But other than those LPs I don't think I ever heard any others by Hass (possibly because he died too young). What LPs did you get this recording from?

[elrichardo]

Am I the only one who strikes that last bass note right after the glissando at the end with my fist?

[Reino_X]

I dont know why everyone has to play it so fast, I mean I could enjoy it much more in a slower, more expressive manner

[penelopewhite]

Jean et Ginette jourez ca bien. Beacoup pour Jean Paul( Comme Tzigane pour lui, (Sauvment il jourez le plus par du musique)JOYEUSE CENTIEME TANTE GINETTE!!!

[bvn]

I have been looking for the sheet music for this piece but cannot find it. Could somebody email me a pdf please ?

[mistermasterinahat]

This is a great piano piece, but the audio quality is EXTREMELY poor. Is there any way to do a different recording of this piece and upload it here?

[jean-mariem.achevrier]

Trop brutal...Debussy etait tellement distingué, ca ne lui ressemble pas.
Tous ces gestes parasites sont tellement désagréables à regarder et ça nuit à la qualité du son

[organboi]

Thanks for posting. But yuck. It has some effective moments. But no beauty or real inspiration. Another dud by Sancan. What a shame. All that compositional technique, but without talent. Who would spend so much time to learn this, but with minimal rewards. Imo. If someone loves this, go for it!