The piano used for this recording is a Steinway D, serial number 582241.
Recording & Production
This recording was made in St. John the Evangelist, Oxford, Great Britain, on August 29-30, 2018.
Interpretation
Alexandra Matvievskaya's virtuosity is highlighted in the Ballade, a formidable piece dedicated to Saint-Saëns, where she captures the 'torrential energy of the ocean'.
Critical Reception
Fauré's music is often inexplicably linked to 'salon' music in the collective imagination, as if stripped of transcendence.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Gabriel Fauré, the composer, followed his own path, believing his music would speak for itself rather than seeking to stand out from academic circles.
Recording & Production
The recording utilized Neumann TLM50 and Sanken CU 41 microphones, with Prism Maselec MMA-4XR preamplifiers and a Merging Horus converter.
Interpretation
The performer, Alexandra Matvievskaya, brings a 'four-dimensional' and modern interpretation to Fauré's music, with a powerful left hand and radiating harmonies.
