This recording was made in August 2020, during a brief easing of UK lockdown restrictions due to the COVID-19 pandemic, which gave the project greater significance to the performers.
Interpretation
The performers chose to be sparing in their use of rubato, a tempo flexibility, based on research suggesting that Fauré was not a fan, while also considering its popularity at the time.
Composer Biography
Gabriel Fauré, the composer, lived through monumental changes, from gaslights in Paris to electricity and motor vehicles, and from the Franco-Prussian War to World War I.
Instruments
Violinist Jane Gordon used covered gut strings for this recording, which allowed for a more nuanced and sensitive style of playing and a wider range of expression, particularly in softer dynamics.
Composer's Artistic Vision
Fauré's distinctive musical voice evolved gradually, pushing the existing rules of the Western Classical canon to their logical limits, rather than adopting radical approaches like the twelve-tone system.
Instruments
The piano used for this recording is a beautifully restored 1890s Érard, a renowned and innovative make of piano that Fauré himself owned.
Performer Biography
Jane Gordon, the violinist, is an Associate of the Royal Academy of Music and has performed extensively at major festivals and concert halls across Europe, Asia, and America.
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Janáček: Violin Sonata, JW VII/7
Saint-Saëns: Violin Sonatas Nos. 1 & 2; Triptyque etc.
Strauss & Respighi: Violin Sonatas
Gabriel Fauré: Complete Works for Violin and Piano
