The pianoforte, which gradually replaced the harpsichord at Paris salons from the 1770’s, changed piano music in France in the late 18^th century. The sonata (with or without accompanying instruments) and the concerto were to grow in importance over the following century. Its most prolific composers, French and foreign, such as Schobert, Eckard, Jadin and Rigel, were based in Paris. Julien Chauvin and Justin Taylor have decided to bring Henri-Joseph Rigel (1741-1799) out of the shadows. He was born in Germany but became a French citizen. An outstanding keyboard player and talented composer, he wrote a dozen or so concertos mainly for the pianoforte but also suitable for the harpsichord. His style noticeably evolved, from his early Empfindzamkeit and Sturm und Drang style compositions when he was in Germany, through to his Concertos périodiques for full orchestra, more akin to Pleyel or Czerny, which were written, published and performed in Paris.
Recorded on the Alpha label, the scores have also been published by the CMBV.