A new CD has been released on the ENCORA label with the piano sonatas by American composer Bernard Benoliel. He was an American‑born composer of French-Arab heritage whose intensely crafted, late‑romantic yet serial‑inflected music remained largely unknown during his lifetime. His three piano sonatas, written between 1977 and 2004, explore metaphysical and philosophical themes inspired by Thomas Mann, Géricault and Gnostic texts. They combine immense expressive power, structural complexity and moments of striking silence. This CD presents all three sonatas, revealing a rich, uncompromising musical voice shaped by decades of reflection and creation. A first review has been published by Opus Klassiek, written by Dr. Emanuel Overbeeke, writing: “In any case, without these three magnificent performances I would never have listened with such fascination to these three highly intriguing pieces. Van Raat not only plays superbly, he sets an impossible standard for other pianists. It is heaven for listeners and hell for pianists.”
