# Gabriel Fauré piano works



## Brouken Air

I haven't seen any thread concerning specifically Gabriel Fauré's piano work (maybe I didn't pay enough attention). As I am currently reviewing his works, I would like to have other's opinion on worth interpretations. I would like to limit this thread to interpretations and not opinions on the works or on chamber stuff. 

Thanks for your numerous coming inputs

:tiphat:


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## Mandryka

For the nocturnes complete Heidsieck. And then there's the incomplete set from Samson François. And a lovely single nocturne from Ignaz Tiegermann. Heidseick is remarkable for the way he makes the music sound like it's got a strong logical inevitability, a structure, rather than note spinning.

This BBC podcast left out all the ones I like, but I thought it was interesting because of the way he linked the style of each nocturne with Fauré's interests at the time of composition, various aspects of his biography etc -- one is like a church chorale, one is like the songs in La Bonne Chanson etc.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w5741

Has anyone read Cortot's book on Fauré? I wonder why he never played any of the nocturnes.

For the preludes, there's Thyssens-Valentin, even though I find the tone she makes quite tiring. Alan Ferber was touted as good but I thought it was inconsistent, sometimes excellent, sometimes a bit meh. I may listen to the preludes again sometime soon, see what I think. I'm particularly curious about what Heidsieck does with them. And I just noticed that Jean Paul Sevilla's preludes are on spotify, I expect they will be worth hearing.

I have hardly listened to the barcarolles apart from the 5th, let's hope someone else has some good ideas about them.

It's years since I really listened critically to Fauré, so no doubt there are new performances.


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## Brouken Air

Mandryka said:


> For the nocturnes complete Heidsieck. And then there's the incomplete set from Samson François. And a lovely single nocturne from Ignaz Tiegermann. Heidseick is remarkable for the way he makes the music sound like it's got a strong logical inevitability, a structure, rather than note spinning.
> 
> This BBC podcast left out all the ones I like, but I thought it most because if the way he linked the style of each nocturne with Fauré's interests at the time of composition, various aspects of his biography etc -- one is like a church chorale, one is like the songs in La Bonne Chanson etc.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w5741
> 
> Has anyone read Cortot's book on Fauré? I wonder why he never played any of the nocturnes.
> 
> For the preludes, there's Thyssens-Valentin, even though I find the tone she makes quite tiring. Alan Ferber was touted as good but I thought it was inconsistent, sometimes excellent, sometimes a bit meh. I may listen to the preludes again sometime soon, see what I think. I'm particularly curious about what Heidsieck does with them. And I just noticed that Jean Paul Sevilla's preludes are on spotify, I expect they will be worth hearing.
> 
> I have hardly listened to the barcarolles apart from the 5th, let's hope someone else has some good ideas about them.
> 
> It's years since I really listened critically to Fauré, so no doubt there are new performances.


I will listen to your link. Concerning Heidsieck which recordings of the nocturnes are you suggesting Erato or Emi or Cassiopée?

:tiphat:


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## Mandryka

Brouken Air said:


> I will listen to your link. Concerning Heidsieck which recordings of the nocturnes are you suggesting Erato or Emi or Cassiopée?
> 
> :tiphat:


The only one I've heard is on EMI, I didn't know there was more than one in fact.


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## Brouken Air

Mandryka said:


> The only one I've heard is on EMI, I didn't know there was more than one in fact.


I don't know too, but there are 3 different records of Heidsieck...

:tiphat:


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## Mandryka

Here's Heidsieck playing some preludes, I'd forgotten how beautiful the music is!






I also just noticed that there's a recording with Alexander Lonquich playing some of the impromptus -- Lonquich is an interesting pianist.


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## D Smith

I can highly recommend this disc which has a selection of works, beautifully performed by Roge.


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## Brouken Air

D Smith said:


> I can highly recommend this disc which has a selection of works, beautifully performed by Roge.


This is certainly a reference for the 5 first nocturnes and other pieces. Elegance, fluidity and authority are the essential qualities of Rogé's intrepretation of Fauré's work, billiant!

:tiphat:


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## Brouken Air

Mandryka said:


> For the nocturnes complete Heidsieck. And then there's the incomplete set from Samson François. And a lovely single nocturne from Ignaz Tiegermann. Heidseick is remarkable for the way he makes the music sound like it's got a strong logical inevitability, a structure, rather than note spinning.
> 
> This BBC podcast left out all the ones I like, but I thought it was interesting because of the way he linked the style of each nocturne with Fauré's interests at the time of composition, various aspects of his biography etc -- one is like a church chorale, one is like the songs in La Bonne Chanson etc.
> 
> http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01w5741
> 
> Has anyone read Cortot's book on Fauré? I wonder why he never played any of the nocturnes.
> 
> For the preludes, there's Thyssens-Valentin, even though I find the tone she makes quite tiring. Alan Ferber was touted as good but I thought it was inconsistent, sometimes excellent, sometimes a bit meh. I may listen to the preludes again sometime soon, see what I think. I'm particularly curious about what Heidsieck does with them. And I just noticed that Jean Paul Sevilla's preludes are on spotify, I expect they will be worth hearing.
> 
> I have hardly listened to the barcarolles apart from the 5th, let's hope someone else has some good ideas about them.
> 
> It's years since I really listened critically to Fauré, so no doubt there are new performances.


Concerning the nocturnes, the link was very interesting and should delight any new listener of Fauré's nocturnes. On contrary to you, almost all my preferred interpreters of the nocturnes have been referenced by the speaker. The only one missing is Jean-Claude Pennetier who's a love-hate interpreter, but I appreciate him a lot.

Germaine Thyssens-Valentin remains certainly the absolute reference, though mono these recordings are very good sounding, contrary to the preludes which alas are hurting the ears!

Jean Hubeau is an absolute must for the nocturnes, well in fact for most of the Fauré's work. He's not a very known pianist, but his Schumann chamber music are real masterpieces, as well as the Fauré's cello sonatas with Paul Tortelier.

Vlado Perlemuter's nocturnes are late recordings of Perlemuter (1982), but still challenging and surpassing most of modern recordings, though he premiered some works in 1921!

Katryn Stott represent the best modern intrepretation with Pennetier of Fauré's nocturne, you can go for her complete Fauré's work or her Piano selection of Fauré, you cannot go wrong.

Add Rogé for the early nocturnes, as already described!

I have listened to Heidsieck's preludes and need to listen twice before making any comments.

Thanks

:tiphat:


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## Mandryka

I'll try to hear some Jean-Claude Pennetier, as I see he's on qobuz streaming. 

I listened to Emile Naomoff playing nocturne 13 last night, and thought he had the lightness that I'm looking for in the late pieces. I don't like the music to be played abrasively. I know it's disputable how authentic that is, and certainly Hubeau and his mates play the late music quite strongly, presumably they had discussed it with Fauré. But it's not my cup of tea. Naomoff is an interesting pianist, he's transposed the requiem for solo piano, there's a record of it.

Another name maybe worth checking out for Fauré is Esteban Sanchez, I blow a bit hot and cold about the CD, but it's a long time since I heard it. The early French pianists - Long and Lefebure - don't do anything for me in this music.

Did Rubinstein play any Faure nocturnes? I think he had a real affinity for French music


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## Piwikiwi

Fauré is one of my favourite composers and I particularly love his Nocturnes. I have the recordings by Jean-Philippe Collard and those are the best ones I've heard so far. I quite like the Laurent Wagschal and Pascal Rogé recordings as well but I still prefer Collard's interpretation.


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## chesapeake bay

Paul Crossley does a very nice job with Fauré's music , indeed I will have to go back and listen to him again now


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## Aecio

Pascal Roge is effectively very good, it was my first Faure's piano CD and I always get back to it !

On more recent interpretations Stephane Lemelin has a nice CD which interweaves the Barcarolles and the nocturnes following its chronological release.


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## Brouken Air

Concerning Rubinstein, I have one record with the 3rd prelude Op. 33, nicely played but not extraordinary, the Fauré's piano quartets by Rubinstein & co received a far better treatment.

Esteban Sanchez has been mentioned, that's Fauré 'à la spanish sauce' and I must say that I like that. First reason is that I love Sanchez in the spanish répertoire, there's no better Iberia then his (even Larrocha), second reason Sanchez should be better known, third reason the treatment not in sense of traditional Faurè's interpretation, enlight certain aspects of Fauré's music, like this light oriental touch in certain pieces (mostly the earliest). I find particularly the Barcarolles fascinating. Under his fingers the Op. 42 is a kaleidoscope full of colours, shapes and sounds. I did not mention Sanchez in the nocturnes, because the interpretation of the 6th nocturne is less successful.

The nocturnes are clearly romantic pieces, in fact most of the work of Fauré is romantic, but very specific to Fauré. You cannot play Fauré like an autumnal Brahms, as I hear often. His sources are various, but one is central and it is Schumann. A neutral approche 'à la Debussy' with suspended lightness, like Heidsieck or Collard in different colours, are playing Fauré, do not match Fauré to my taste. I understand intellectually, but I do not feel the same inner vibrations of a Hubeau, Valentin, Stott or Pennetier.

Crossley has been praised by the BBC speaker and his Fauré is good, but to my opinion just not as good as a Perlemutter or a Rogé, a bit like his Debussy (I appreciated his takemitsu much more).
I didn't knew Laurent Wagschal and I discover a very talented pianist, his nocturnes have very special atmospheres, a kind of languor at certain moments, switching nearly instantaneously to pure innocence. This is for me a discovery (I listened Wagschal in other répertoire!) and very interesting approach to Fauré's music. 

:tiphat:


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## Piwikiwi

Did Rogé actually record nocturne no. 6-13 as well? I can only find a recording of him playing the first 5


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## Brouken Air

Sorry for the lateness of the answer, but I was ill. To my knowledge Rogé has only recorded one solo piano recording. He recorded also the violin sonatas with Pierre Amoyal.


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## Selby

I enjoy Sally Pinkas' recordings of the nocturnes and barcarolles. Although I have preferences for individual performances, I find her nocturnes 'cycle' - as a whole - is the most rewarding that I've come across. Reference comparisons including Collard, Stott, Owen, and Jalbert.

Delphine Bardin's recording of the barcarolles on Alpha has moments of wonderful, also


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## revdrdave

My introduction to Faure's piano music was the two Vox boxes by Evelyn Crochet. I've since heard performances of individual works (or groups of works, i.e. the Barcarolles) I like better, but I still have a fondness for Crochet. Alas, the Vox recordings are long out of print although used copies occasionally turn up in eBay (in fact, I found still-sealed copies of both boxes a couple years ago and snapped them up).


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## Piwikiwi

Brouken Air said:


> Sorry for the lateness of the answer, but I was ill. To my knowledge Rogé has only recorded one solo piano recording. He recorded also the violin sonatas with Pierre Amoyal.


Aw that is too bad, since I prefer 6-13 to 1-5 myself


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## Piwikiwi

Selby said:


> I enjoy Sally Pinkas' recordings of the nocturnes and barcarolles. Although I have preferences for individual performances, I find her nocturnes 'cycle' - as a whole - is the most rewarding that I've come across. Reference comparisons including Collard, Stott, Owen, and Jalbert.
> 
> Delphine Bardin's recording of the barcarolles on Alpha has moments of wonderful, also
> 
> View attachment 73978
> View attachment 73979


So far I am really impressed with these and I've only listened to them for a very short time but they might replace my Collard recordings as my favourites.


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## Brouken Air

Selby said:


> I enjoy Sally Pinkas' recordings of the nocturnes and barcarolles. Although I have preferences for individual performances, I find her nocturnes 'cycle' - as a whole - is the most rewarding that I've come across. Reference comparisons including Collard, Stott, Owen, and Jalbert.
> 
> Delphine Bardin's recording of the barcarolles on Alpha has moments of wonderful, also
> 
> View attachment 73978
> View attachment 73979


I have listened to Pinka's nocturnes, it's beautifully recorded and the first nocturnes are a pleasure. But the later nocturnes are overplayed, lacking naturalness and this elegance overshadowing the darkness of certain moments.
Concerning Bardin's barcarolles, they're really a great choice with Hubeau, Stott or Collard (who is much better in the barcarolles then the nocturnes).


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