"I have been a fan of Françaix‘s music since the first time I heard one of his pieces, which was sometime in my youth at the old Kunsthaus in Lucerne", says Dimitri Ashkenazy. "Hans-Rudolf Stalder played his “Tema con variazioni” (the second piece on this disc) in the version with string orchestra accompaniment. I loved the spirit, the subtle use of harmony, the humour, but also the introspection."

In collaboration with Yvonne Lang, Ada Meinich, Bernd Glemser and the Cincinnati Philharmonia Orchestra, Ashkenazy presents some of the most exciting works for clarinet by French composer Jean Françaix.