Great Recordings on Harmonia Mundi, Vol. 1

The Harmonia Mundi label's pairing of soloists and repertoire reveals both contemplative quality and gentle good humor. Pianist Alexandre Tharaud is a technical virtuoso, but he's just as adept at Satie's playful experimentalism as he is at Chopin's gravity, while the affecting tenor Alfred Deller makes tragic Baroque laments sound positively life-affirming.