WITH PASSION is the latest release from Navona Records featuring the works of French composer Yves Ramette (1921-2012). Exquisitely beautiful, these cascading works for solo piano stand alone within a palate of tine, color, and space that Mr. Ramette crafted and honed throughout his studies and professional career. Says pianist Eric Himy, “I came to realize that Yves Ramette seems to have stayed in a place of his own…simply impervious to criticism. His musical vision is a surrealist’s idea of fantasy with his fresh, wonderfully innocent outlook on the world… extremely transparent crystalline drops of sounds evoking his Gallic roots and inspirations (Debussy, Ravel, Messaien). In the end, Ramette’s compositions seem to be objects that exist in space rather than in time.” Mr. Ramette passed away in June 2012 and is survived by his wife, Maryse. PARMA Recordings is proud to honor this exceptional composer’s legacy with this collection, and is currently in production on his symphonic output for future release.

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French composer Yves Ramette’s (1921–2012) music is marked by its ability to broadcast “messages of the heart,” offering unflinching and distinguished representations of emotion and experience using traditional forms. A student of Honegger and contemporary of Boulez, among others, Ramette’s works draw from the rhythmic and harmonic elements of mid-20th-century France. CASCADING INTO REVERIE, a two-disc retrospective of Ramette’s works for solo piano and orchestra, presents a series of meticulously constructed works showcasing the composer’s penchant for writing harmonically and rhythmically driven music. Pianist Eric Himy—whose playing has been lauded for its “extraordinary richness” (BBC Music Magazine) and “infallible power and intensity” (Washington Post)— interprets Ramette’s works with creativity and finely honed technique, navigating difficult passages with ease and grace.