Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: La Mort de Mélisande
Berceuse, Op. 116
Faure wrote very little orchestral music. His most famous piece is the Suite from Pelleas, a very popular musical subject--as the operas, suites and tone poems by Schoenberg, Debussy, and Sibelius all bear witness. The ... more »Sicilienne is simply one of the great moments in French music--a confection of harp, flute, cello, and gentle strings. The tune sticks obstinately in the memory, but as you will soon learn, you can't sing it, for its fascination is as much harmonic as melodic. All of these works feature Faure's own personal brand of elegant, subdued Romanticism, and at budget price you'll find this disc a lovely diversion with a nice glass of wine. --David Hurwitz« less
Faure wrote very little orchestral music. His most famous piece is the Suite from Pelleas, a very popular musical subject--as the operas, suites and tone poems by Schoenberg, Debussy, and Sibelius all bear witness. The Sicilienne is simply one of the great moments in French music--a confection of harp, flute, cello, and gentle strings. The tune sticks obstinately in the memory, but as you will soon learn, you can't sing it, for its fascination is as much harmonic as melodic. All of these works feature Faure's own personal brand of elegant, subdued Romanticism, and at budget price you'll find this disc a lovely diversion with a nice glass of wine. --David Hurwitz
CD Reviews
A complete compilation of Faure's scarce orchestral music
James N. Holland | Heredia, Costa Rica | 12/19/2005
(5 out of 5 stars)
"If only the recording quality was better. If only, if only...because the pieces in this CD are simply gorgeous and there are some really special moments with the performances, especially the incidental music of Pelleas et Melisande and Lynda Russell's gorgeous voice in Shylock.
Spanning Faure's career from early to later works, I listen to this CD all the time. Only two criticisms: (1) with such thought given to the selections, where is Faure's "Pavane," probably the most famous work of his and one he wrote over and over again? (2) it's a shame the recording quality is not better, perhaps there will be a remastering someday."
Simply Elegant
M. C. Passarella | Lawrenceville, GA | 06/29/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The refined Gabriel Faure was a master of the orchestral character piece and managed to create gorgeous, genuinely memorable suites of such music, unlike other French romantic composers (Massenet and Bizet come immediately to mind) who mostly produced ear wash or, at best, ear candy in their similar orchestral efforts. While "Pelleas" is the best-known work on this disk, you may find (as I do) that you prefer the faux-naive children's suite "Dolly" and the more rollicking "Masques et Bergamasques." The virtually unknown "Shylock" is a thoughtful inclusion by those thoughtful folks at Naxos. Elegant performances and good, crisp sonics make this another winner from the budget CD leader. However, the recording is a bit low level, so you'll have to crank it for full enjoyment."
Beauty, grace and elegance at a bargain price.
Miles D. Moore | Alexandria, VA USA | 03/16/2001
(5 out of 5 stars)
"The RTE Sinfonietta, an Irish orchestra, gives graceful and idiomatic performances of these beautiful pieces by Faure. You will get fine performances not only of familiar Faure works, such as "Pelleas et Melisande" and the "Berceuse," but also of relative rarities such as "Shylock" and "Masques et Bergamasques." WGMS-FM, a classical station in Washington, DC, uses the Gavotte from "Masques et Bergamasques" as the theme for one of its music programs; I bought this CD for that piece alone, and feel that piece is worth the price of the CD. But with so much more lovely music on it, and especially at this price, any Faure fan would be a fool not to buy this CD immediately."
Charming
Guna | DELHI, India | 06/30/2006
(4 out of 5 stars)
"This CD is full of very charming music of Faure, beginning with the Masques et Bergamasques, a 4-movement suite based on ancient dance forms. It is reminiscent of the style of Resphigi's Ancient Airs and Dances, especially the Minuet and the Gavotte.
The Dolly Suite, originally for piano duet, is a set of 6 pieces - although called a "suite for children", I find it very attractive as a work in its own right. "Berceuse" and "Jardin de Dolly" are full of repose, contrasted with the lively 3/4 of "Miaou" and "Kitty Valse". "Tendresse", my favourite movement, has a slow building of passion to an extatic climax, and a more wistful middle section. "Pas Espagnol" is a lively, Spanish dance. The orchestration of "Dolly" is great - full of constantly changing colours, and movement between instruments.
Shylock and Pelias and Melasande, incidental music for narratives, are also full of changing colours. The CD ends with the buoyant, charming "Berceuse" for violin."
Naxos does OK on this one. Could have been Great.
G. Stewart | Chesapeake, VA USA | 03/06/2008
(4 out of 5 stars)
"The works of Gabriel Faure, all too often overshadowed by talented countrymen and contemporaries like Berlioz, Debussy, Ravel or Saint-Saens, are a wonder; creative and soothing. In a time when dissonance and experimentation, in what is now know as the impressionist period, were the standard, Faure dared to remain erstwhile, firm in the style of established classical composition. That is not to take away from his amazing ability to compose pieces of exquisite beauty, but to state that he was firmly established in his apparently innate ability to compose pieces that were harmonious and melodic; he is credited as the master of the French melodie or 'art song', the French equivalent of German lieder; songs for voice.
I'm not one to put stock in critic's opinions as I usually disagree and prefer to decide for myself, but this disc was given a good review by the 'Penguin Guide to Classical Music' which stated that the CD contained "polished and cultured playing" and that the compilation was "an ideal collection of [Faure's] orchestral music". I would say that this is a somewhat fair assessment. The sound on this disc leaves a little to be desired, but for the price, I am willing to accept slightly lower quality; and it is only slightly lower quality, not horrible.
The RTE Sinfionetta, an off-shoot of the RTE Concert Orchestra of Dublin, is conducted by John Georgiadis on this compilation of some of Faure's most popular pieces. Some of the works were not originally composed for orchestra, but they are lovely in their transcribed form nonetheless.
Contained on this disc is:
>>>'Masques et Bergamasques' - 4 pieces for orchestra, composed originally as accompaniment for a stage piece. The title is a play on words but means 'masks and bergamasks', bergamasks being a native dance of the people of Bergamo in Northern Italy. Faure said of the piece that "it is like the impression you get from the paintings of Watteau", Watteau being a painter who brought to the canvas the life of the rich aristocrats of the 17th century; appropriate as the stage piece that the music accompanied was to be about aristocratic love lives as seen through the eyes of actors hired to perform for the dilettantes. The 1st movement, 'Ouverture' is amazing, my favorite of the four, carried by strings that play a quick harmony, backed by woods that play a wonderful, touching melody. The 'Menuet' is slower, carried almost completely by strings, somewhat unvarying, and a bit tedious. The 'Gavotte', a French folk dance, mercifully returns the composition to the lively origins of the 'Ouverture'. The final movement, a 'Pastorale', slowly closes the composition with a tuneful, mournful, baroque feel.
>>>'Dolly Suite' - 6 pieces, originally composed for piano, here orchestrated nicely, is my favorite piece by Faure (excepting his Op. 116, which is included on this disc). It is a lovely suite, dominated by strings like 'Masques et Bergamasques'. The 1st, 4th and 5th movements are especially dulcet and the suite is delicate and alluring.
>>>'Shylock' is a suite, composed as incidental music to accompany a play based upon, obviously, "The Merchant of Venice". It has 2 movements with vocal accompaniment, the 1st and the 3rd, and is an entertaining diversion, but never struck deep with me, personally.
>>>'Pelleas et Melisande' is, again, incidental music for a play of the same name. Faure also conducted the orchestra for the play, which performed it's 1st show in 1901. The pieces have been performed as solo piano and piano duets. All pieces are enjoyable; none stand out from the others.
>>>'Bercuese', Op. 16, is my favorite piece by Faure. Here is somewhat of a mix between a sonata and a concerto for violin. The violin is prominent throughout with only subtle, unobtrusive string accompaniment that is restrained, a soft melody to support the violin. This piece is unmistakably orchestrated genius.
The sound on the CD is somewhat muffled, not horrible, but not quite crisp, but I still think the value offered by Naxos is worth it and recommend this disc with 4 stars. Enjoy!!!"
Track Listings (21) - Disc #1