The Complete Songs of Fauré, Vol. 4

Featuring

John Mark Ainsley
Malcolm Martineau
Iestyn Davies
Isobel Buchanan
Lorna Anderson
Kitty Whately

Dame Sarah Connolly
Ann Murray
John Chest
Gabriel Fauré

Did you know?

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Composer's Artistic Vision

Fauré's music, unlike that of his friend Henri Duparc, often prefers suggestion and nuance, speaking to listeners in familiar tones.

Composer's Artistic Vision

Fauré disliked pretentious pianism and prioritized prosody in his songwriting, sometimes altering poetry for musical reasons.

Composer Biography

Fauré, as director of the Paris Conservatoire from 1905, took a particular interest in teaching singing, as demonstrated by the vocalises on this disc.

Composition History

Fauré's songs "Seule!", "La rançon", and "L'absent" were a direct response to the Franco-Prussian War, in which Fauré served.

Critical Reception

Fauré's "La Bonne Chanson" cycle caused considerable upset among his contemporaries, with Debussy finding it needlessly complicated and Saint-Saëns thinking Fauré had gone "completely mad."

Recording & Production

This album features recordings made across multiple dates and locations between 2014 and 2019, including All Saints' Church, East Finchley, and St Silas, Chalk Farm.

Historical Context

Fauré was a pupil at the École Niedermeyer in Paris, which trained church musicians, and became lifelong friends with Saint-Saëns, who joined the staff in 1861.