Upon hearing Mélanie Bonis's first piano quartet, Camille Saint-Saëns, a prominent French composer, expressed surprise, stating he never believed a woman capable of such writing.
Composition History
Gabriel Fauré confessed that he would not have composed a sonata or quartet before 1870, crediting the founding of the Société Nationale de Musique in 1871 for inspiring him.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Fauré's Piano Quartet No. 1, Op. 15, reflects his dream of prolonging waning Romanticism, extending its poetic and imaginative faculties.
Composer Biography
Mélanie Bonis (1858-1937), a brilliant classmate of Debussy's at the Conservatoire, had a less direct path to composition, first needing to secure her social standing.
Composer Biography
Fauré, at 35 years old in 1880, was an organist at the church of La Madeleine and gave piano lessons to the Parisian middle class.
Performer Biography
The Quatuor Giardini, formed by David Violi (piano), Pascal Monlong (violin), Caroline Donin (viola), and Pauline Buet (cello), came together after more than ten years of musical collaboration.
Recording & Production
This album was recorded at L'Arsenal de Metz, a venue known for the quality of its acoustics, which is regularly used for prestigious recordings by major labels.
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