Pianist Alain Lefèvre has lived in Canada for most of his life, but his student days at the Paris Conservatoire, studying with the legendary Pierre Sancan, made an indelible musical mark on him. On his debut album for Warner, Lefèvre celebrates the French capital’s love affair with the piano via an irresistible programme full of Gallic charm. He gives beautifully restrained, poetic performances of Satie’s Gymnopédie No. 1, Debussy’s Clair de Lune, and Ravel’s Pavane pour une infante défunte, while at the heart of the album he reveals Paris’ more tempestuous side in Franck’s ultra-Romantic, Wagner-inspired Prélude, Choral & Fugue.