composer of the week : Gabriel Faure

Referring back to JG's post:

Anyhow, Faure is an enthusiasm of mine too. The introspection is appealing, not narcissistic (it's genuine inwardness and poise, not self-regardingness, don't you feel?), as is the feeling you often get that there's a wave of passionate feeling just beneath the surface. I echo your sentiments about the chamber music and piano music, and would add to the list above the Piano Quartets (there's an excellent disc from Domus on Hyperion - ditto here the Piano Quintets) and the Nocturnes.

Faure's chamber music is a whole area I've never explored and looking at the reviews in various sites and books, I'll have to get on it. Our library has the Domus Piano Quartets. Thanks for the tips, guys.

Am I the only one finding one composer per week a bit of a challenge? Revisiting Simpson's chamber music has taken me the best part of two weeks. Out of that, I'd recommend the Clarinet Quintet as an entry point.

Hi dubrob,

Thanks for bringing up Faure's music.  I only have a few discs of his music, but have enjoyed what I have heard so far.  I really like his piano quintets (I have the Domus recordings on Hyperion like Mr. Gardiner).  I also have his requiem (which I need to give another listen to soon, but from what I recall, I liked it); and lastly, I have his "La Chanson d'Eve" and other songs with Janet Baker on Hyperion [which I confess, I need to still crack open!  I'll try to do that this evening] I'd love to hear more about specific pieces and recordings which you and others enjoy here.

Perhaps John, our IT specialist on this forum, would be so kind as to move your original post up to the top of this forum rather than the "About this site" topic?

Best wishes,

Petra

p.s.  It's hard to jump back and forth to see which pieces you like...I'll try and jot some of them down though for me to reference. :)

p.p.s.  Ah! Here at least, I've copied some of what you had originally posted, so I can ask you and others further about the pieces without have to jump to different headings! :-)

[From dubrob's posting under "About this site"]...."I´m thinking of the last song cycles, the Piano Quintets, Piano Trio,
the String Quartet, and above all for me his Preludes from 1910. This
last piece is one of the most beguiling and mysterious pieces of music I
know. When you first hear it you think, the music sounds familiar
enough, nothing strange here, but by the time it ends you think, or at
least I did, what was all that about, I didn´t understand it, but there
was something in it that made me want to listen to it again and again
until I got a hold of it, this feeling also applies to the String
Quartet.

I have been listening to both pieces for years, and I still find them
endlessly rewarding and intriguing. Somebody once described the Jupiter
symphony as music talking to itself, this description I feel is
applicable to late Faure....."

Besides the Brilliant Classics editons, may I ask for favourite recordings of the above [Again I have his piano quintets already]?  Or do all of you think that the Brilliant sets are the best?

And where does the cd with Dame Janet Baker fit in in terms of Faure's career?  Are these considered late songs?

Looks like I need to do some more reading/research about him!

Thanks for any guidance you might be able to give to me! P.

Hi dubrob,

Well, you're welcome re the quoting...sorry, I probably should have done the whole thing!  I was trying to keep straight which pieces you had mentioned. Note: I did it by first typing and saving a reply on this thread...then went to the old one and left clicked at the beginning of the text that I wished to copy (holding my finger down) and then dragged my mouse down over the whole area that I wished to copy (thereby highlighting it in blue).

Then on my keyboard I hit "Ctrl" (holding it down) and then hit the key for "copy".  On my keyboard the Control functions are indicated on the side of the keys and marked by an "*".

I then went back to this thread to my post and clicked on "Edit".  Then at the end of my posting, I hit "*Ctrl" (again holding down the key) and also hit the key marked "*Paste".

Give it shot, you can do it! Hey, if I can...!lol:

Regarding Faure....

Yes, I've heard of that debut album (which received rave reviews) by the Quatuor Ebene (sorry, can't do accents....at least yet! :-D ).  It's been on my want list for awhile.   I should also double-check through a couple of odd boxed sets that I own just to double-check re other Faure pieces.

I checked that Baker cd and it doesn't contain any of those other songs that you mentioned (but I wonder if I might have some of them on some cds or cd sets of certain singers in my collection).  I hope to listen to at least some of this cd tonight, but first I must take care of a few more things around the house.

Thank you also for the further info....I'll look into them! :)

Best wishes,

Petra

dubrob and others,

I forgot to mention that I also own a lovely disc of his nocturnes with Germaine Thyssens-Valentin playing them (On Testament).  It was recommended to me by a friend on another forum and is WONDERFUL!  I wish that the sound were a bit better (It was recorded in 1956), but the performances are exquisite.

And dtstrickland....have fun! Let us know what you find please! :-)

Best wishes,

Petra