Review: Erato's Vintage Fauré Collection--An Excellent Bargain

[@cayrephilippe2416]

I really enjoyed your talk. It's high time people realised how great a musician Fauré was. He deserves a lot of respect. I agree with everything you said about him (melodies, chamber and piano music). I've had Les Barcarolles (Collard) since I was a teenager. Thank you again.

[@applin121]

I think the Nocturnes and Barcarolles are an excellent place to start exploring the music of this wonderful and sensuous composer. I’d rather listen to Fauré than either Debussy or Ravel any day of the week.

[@billwalker1541]

There are the Testament CDs of the piano music by Germaine Thyssens-Valentin, which are wonderful.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Yes, they are.

[@GreenTeaViewer]

I see the name Fauré, I click.

[@mackjay1777]

Wonderful. I've thought that Fauré is underappreciated, and you point out why. About the songs, among the greatest ever, but they can be elusive on first hearing and they do require close listening and I have to admit some knowledge of French really helps (true of German Lieder et al, but I think the "mélodie" is a rarefied thing for the most part) . I'd like to recommend, very highly, the CD of Gérard Souzay singing Fauré on Philips. He had a perfect understanding of the style, which is firmly grounded in the language (I don't favor non-French speakers in this music). Some day I'll delve into Fauré's chamber music, after watching your future video on it.

[@cayrephilippe2416]

I agree with you. I don't favour non-French speakers either. Some of them are very good though : Bernard Kruysen was absolutely fluent in French. As for Gérard Souzay, he could also sing in German.

[@Vandalarius]

YES, more Faure. I will never not upvote and drive engagement on Faure videos.

[@canoodlian1226]

Thank you for this Faure foray.

[@davidaiken1061]

Many thanks for showcasing Fauré, and this fine collection, all the content of which I have in my collection in earlier EMI incarnations. Odd that Warner didn't choose any of the genuine Erato recordings of Fauré residing in their vaults. As I recall there was an estimable series of Fauré chamber music on Erato dating from earlier in the LP era. In any case, his is probably the most sheerly lovely body of chamber music written by any composer, elusive though some of it is. Now that you have rectified the neglect of Fauré, there may be other composers underrepresented in your video chats and reviews. Handel is one (though you did a great ideal oratorio talk), Schubert is another (piano music, piano duets, and of course lieder and some chamber music), and there's so much more Haydn (quartet cycles, piano music, masses and oratorios), and, lest we forget, mounds and mounds of BWV entries. Keep on reviewing!

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I quit...

[@carlconnor5173]

Speaking of the World’s Most Beautiful Melodies, Faure’s Pavane.

[@Don-md6wn]

I have good alternative recordings of just about all of the chamber and orchestral music in this box, but your comments on Faure's piano music prompted me to buy the set by Kathryn Stott on Hyperion. Thanks for the video.

[@docm27]

The 6th nocturne has always moved me intensely.

[@michelangelomulieri5134]

I already own the brilliant edition about Faure but this Erato compilation contains some top notch performances. Great Dave..as usual!

[@curseofmillhaven1057]

Those Piano Quartets are something else (have the Domus Quartet in those on Hyperion which are fantastic). Saint- Saens' Piano Trios are worth checking out IMHO too

[@edwinbelete76]

My favorite recording of the first Piano Quartet is with the Beaux Art Trio and Kim Kashkashian on viola. However, I love Domus in the Brahms Piano Quartets so I will check out their Faure. And your right about the Saint - Saens. His Piano Trios are among the most enchanting chamber works in the repertoire and deserve more attention. The Joachim Trio recording on Naxos is excellent and available on Spotify.

[@Don-md6wn]

@@edwinbelete76 Domus also has a nice recording of the Faure piano quintets with the addition of a guest violinist.

[@curseofmillhaven1057]

@@edwinbelete76 thanks for the Beaux Arts Trio recommendation - I'll try and check it out. Domus made some fantastic records (even relatively light weight stuff like Dvorak's Bagatelles take on a depth in their hands). I have the Joachim in the Saint-Saens too - great playing!

[@loiccery1419]

Hello David Hurwitz! Can you tell us what you think of Erato's new Fauré collection, due out at the end of October 2024? I can't wait to find out what's in it, and if it's really worth buying. As I already have the chamber music itégrale, also from Erato (an excellent set you've recommended in the past)...

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I will when it comes out and I've heard it!

[@maribelfarnsworth4565]

Thank you for this great presentation. I have been a lifelong lover of Fauré's music, and I hope this video gets many more views, because it's great to hear such an eloquent and knowledgeably thoughtful a champion of his music as your good self! The elusiveness of his harmony is a feature you do justice to, and which becomes more elusive in his later works (it's especially noticeable in the String Quartet; a friend of mine called it "atonal" on first hearing - she was strictly speaking incorrect, but there are passages where the sense of key is so elusive that one can sort of see where she was coming from). Incidentally, the String Quartet recycles material from an earlier violin concerto (especially the first subject of the first movement), which you don't mention - is the concerto included in the Erato collection?

[@tarikabbas2702]

I like boxes, they are nice, cheap and take less place on your shelf. I was considering to buy this box-set but after comparing with other recordings on Spotify I ended up with the following choices: For Orchestral and concertante music, The Secret Fauré, 3 separate CDs on Sony. Piano Music: Kathryn Stott on Hyperion. Chamber Music: Intégrale de la musique de chambre avec Piano, 5 CD box-set on Alpha (Everything this company does is elegant) This leaves the string quartet out but I, and probably everyone else already have it since it is usualy coupled with other great quartets.

[@김상범-s4c]

If you’re still in love with Faure, please try Germain Thyssens-Valentin’s piano works whether on Spotify or Testament cds. I also started Kathryn Stott, but GTV is special. Also, Jacques Herbillon’s melodies are unique, though his Caliope LPs haven’t been released on cd. Thankfully, however, you can find him on KZbin!!

[@fredcasden]

I sang the Pavanne (I think with an English language text) with the NYC All-City HS chorus at Carnegie Hall back in 1958 (!) What a beautiful work. I gather it's not in this box. More's the pity.

[@sergeabud7046]

If I remember well the Pavane is actually part of Masques et Bergamasques so it’s probably in this box as such.

[@fredcasden]

@@sergeabud7046 According to Dr.Wikipedia, Pavanne began life as an independent piece and was later incorporated into M&B; so we're both right. The question is whether the setting for chorus and orchestra is in the box.

[@trraviss1977]

Hi Dave, will you comment the Nocturnes and Barcarolles by Hamelin on Hyperion? Best regards.

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Eventually. I need to do a bit of listening to other versions first.

[@willx9352]

I already have already plenty of Faure in my music collection - including his complete piano works. I was however interested in your comment about his expertise as a song composer as I have no CD solely devoted to Faure songs - although some of his songs appear on discs by individual performers. I thought this would an interesting avenue to expand my listening. A search of a few sites indicates that there are only two modern versions off the complete songs of Faure - one issued by Signum and involving (mostly) English speaking singers and the other by ATMA and involving French Canadian singers. Obviously the French do not place the same value on his song compositions as you do!

[@renaudgautier3975]

I'm not sure how you could have missed the complete version of the songs on Hyperion - part of their extensive French Song Edition. 4 CDs as I recall, with the incomparable Graham Johnson at the piano (and governing influence). Not native French singers, but performances of excellence throughout.

[@willx9352]

@ I have since acquired the Signum version, but also one sung by Cyrille Dubois, who is French, on Aparte.

[@renaudgautier3975]

There is another set on REM label, with François LeRoux singing and American pianist, Jeffrey Cohen. Hyperion also has a 4-disc set which splits the songs between Sarah Walker and Tom Krause (Malcolm Martineau at the piano). It should be possible to track down the EMI set with Elly Ameling and Souzay.. And there is a recent version - 103 songs - by Cyrille Dubois (Tristan Rafaël, piano) on APARTE. And many worthy performances on individual discs.

[@owengette8089]

What's your take on the best and worst of John Cage's 4'33"?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

Check out the video.

[@Wolfcrag85]

Listening to the exquisite Barcarolles in versions by Collard and Volondat (Naxos), I was more impressed with the latter's fluidity and sense of atmosphere, despite slower tempi. What's your opinion, dear David?

[@DavesClassicalGuide]

I haven't heard the Naxos versions. Sorry!

[@dianelewis4774]

Thanks again. diane lewis

[@PhillipYewTree]

Faure's complete works for cello, by Steven Isserlis and Pascal Devoyon is a long-time favourite, on RCA. The Hyperion release has awful sound quality.

[@goonbelly5841]

I have the EMI cd re-issues of most of these recordings. IMO, a terrible inexplicable wrong is marketing EMI recordings under the Erato label. Very confusing and potentially misleading.