Likewise, François' Ravel is subject to marked mood swings. In Gaspard de la nuit, Ondine's waves leisurely unfold, while by contrast Scarbo's flames scorch random victims with jagged petulance, but not to the ultra-violent degree of his legendary version on 78s (reissued in EMI's Les Introuvables series). Although Alborada de gracioso's whirling rhythms go haywire, and the Pavane pour une infante défunte is anything but stately, the Sonatine and the Valses nobles et sentimentales emerge with relative normalcy and proportion. François also is on excellent form for a dry and dapper Le Tombeau de Couperin that deliciously plays up the music's baroque subtext. With pianist Pierre Barbizet in tow, some of the Mother Goose Suite's fanciful rubatos nearly spill over into Fractured Fairy Tales.

Both concertos with André Cluytens last appeared in EMI's Great Recordings of the Century series. These invigorating traversals retain their reference status not just for François' volatile approach to the solo parts, but also for Cluytens' unerring tempo choices and transitions. He's one of the few conductors who keep the G major concerto's first-movement opening tempo resolutely consistent; most find themselves slightly slower by the end. While James Harding's excellent booklet notes focus on the music, I suspect that general audiences would welcome at least a few cursory paragraphs about this immensely talented and troubled pianist.