Gabriel Fauré (Faure)

Started by The Emperor, July 21, 2007, 10:46:34 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

0 Members and 1 Guest are viewing this topic.

Mandryka

#400
Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 26, 2024, 08:59:21 AMI tried the nine preludes in Pennetier's recordings. Satisfying, but not the arresting sort of experience that would motivate me to add another set to my collection (Stott, Hubeau, Doyen, Collard) plus key works by other performers (Heidsiec, Hewitt, Roge). I'm thinking I should listen to Hamelin's Hyperion release and Le Sage's Nocturnes.

The Hamelin is certainly worth a listen. Also maybe Naoumoff

https://soundcloud.com/emilenaoumoff/sets/gabriel-faure-nocturnes

And certainly Dominique Merlet, and possibly Jean Michel-Damase too.

I've been focussed in on the wonderful Nocturne 11.  There's enough in that particular nocturne to make it well worth engaging with seriously I think.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Mandryka on May 26, 2024, 09:10:37 AMThe Hamelin is certainly worth a listen. Also maybe Naoumoff

https://soundcloud.com/emilenaoumoff/sets/gabriel-faure-nocturnes

And certainly Dominique Merlet, and possibly Jean Michel-Damase too.

I've been focussed in on the wonderful Nocturne 11.  There's enough in that particular nocturne to make it well worth engaging with seriously I think.

I more or less arbitrarily picked Nocturne 7 as a point of comparison between my standard (Stott) and some others I might listen to. I expect autumnal wisdom from Hubeau, and I suppose I am looking for a young firebrand type to contrast with that.

Mandryka

#402
Quote from: Spotted Horses on May 26, 2024, 11:42:56 PMI more or less arbitrarily picked Nocturne 7 as a point of comparison between my standard (Stott) and some others I might listen to. I expect autumnal wisdom from Hubeau, and I suppose I am looking for a young firebrand type to contrast with that.

How about this for a young firebrand?

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Mandryka



Absolutely set to become a great favourite. We knew Noaoumoff was good in French music from his Dupont.
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Madiel

Every single post on the forum is unnecessary. Including the ones that are interesting or useful.

Spotted Horses

I think that was supposed to be
Quote from: Mandryka on May 27, 2024, 07:57:02 AM

Absolutely set to become a great favourite. We knew Noaoumoff was good in French music from his Dupont.

The result of my survey of interesting Faure sets (some complete, some not) arbitrarily based on Nocturne No 7 (a middle work, neither early nor late Faure).

Stott - my gold standard, 'just right'
Le Sage - Nicely forceful
Hamelin - Poetic and remarkable technique
Crossly - Didn't like the honky-tonk piano sound on the recording
Pennetier - middle of the road, dull
Hubeau - perfumed, noble
Doyen - 'just right' with nicely warm 1972 audio, dynamic range a bit limited.
Debargue - interesting piano sound (unique parallel string instrument) poetic and sensuous, audio too washy
Naoumoff - too dreamy
Collard (EMI) - I didn't dig it up again, but I like it's grainy texture.

I think I would enjoy listening through most of these sets, but not enough time or room in my brain for that, really.

It is odd that it is basically impossible to hear Doyen, for which there is only a long out-of-print CD release, and which is not available on any streaming services, as far as I can tell. I have it in an unauthorized copy I downloaded years ago.

AnotherSpin

Quote from: Mandryka on May 27, 2024, 07:57:02 AM

Absolutely set to become a great favourite. We knew Noaoumoff was good in French music from his Dupont.

Naoumoff set was fabulous in head phones yesterday at home. Hamelin sounded better in car stereo system today.

Luke

I've seen no mention of Germaine Thyssens-Valentin's Fauré recordings here (I may have missed them). Her recordings of him are the bulk of what she put on disc. I love them, very deeply felt and dignified to my ears.

Mandryka

#408
Quote from: Luke on May 28, 2024, 07:38:38 AMI've seen no mention of Germaine Thyssens-Valentin's Fauré recordings here (I may have missed them). Her recordings of him are the bulk of what she put on disc. I love them, very deeply felt and dignified to my ears.

I'm inclined to agree with you about her actually.

One thing I've learned about Faure's piano music recently - some of  it is amazingly contrapuntal. He could well be the best writer of non fugal keyboard counterpoint after Bach. Listen to the counterpoint here

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4ctmVwvIHBE
Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Mandryka on May 28, 2024, 08:03:20 AMOne thing I've learned about Faure's piano music recently - some of  it is amazingly contrapuntal. He could well be the best writer of non fugal keyboard counterpoint after Bach. Listen to the counterpoint here

I'm in total agreement with you there. Contrapuntal in the sense of Bach's cello suites, which have melodies embedded in complex figuration. That point was made especially strongly to me in Angela Hewitt's Faure recital disc.

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Luke on May 28, 2024, 07:38:38 AMI've seen no mention of Germaine Thyssens-Valentin's Fauré recordings here (I may have missed them). Her recordings of him are the bulk of what she put on disc. I love them, very deeply felt and dignified to my ears.

It was an oversight to omit Thyssens-Valentin from my survey. I've resisted getting those recordings over the years, partly because Testament was asking a lot of money for 60+ year old recordings, and because I had the idea that the subtle colors of Faure's piano music demanded a technically modern recording.

Luke

Yes, thankfully they can be found much more affordably now

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Luke on May 28, 2024, 09:22:29 AMYes, thankfully they can be found much more affordably now

The Testament releases are still pricey in the states, and I don't see them to stream. I see they have been released by the mysterious Alexandre Bak label. Is that what mean by affordable?

Luke

No, I mean I picked up the two discs I didn't already have (of five) on Amazon UK for under £5 each recently (this lovely thread inspired me to complete the set); I think the others were on there similarly priced.

Mandryka

#414
Really distinctive timbre - strange diction I think, don't expect to understand the words - totally involved performances of both Chanson d'Ève and Le Jardin Clos from Marrielle Delunsch. The whole thing is sui generis actually.


Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Luke on May 28, 2024, 10:54:19 AMNo, I mean I picked up the two discs I didn't already have (of five) on Amazon UK for under £5 each recently (this lovely thread inspired me to complete the set); I think the others were on there similarly priced.

Alas, even used copies remain expensive here in the states.

Mandryka

Wovon man nicht sprechen kann, darüber muss man schweigen

Spotted Horses

Quote from: Mandryka on May 29, 2024, 04:50:39 AMCheck these transfers

https://open.spotify.com/album/3l25NIh717wJH1jM548qXw


https://open.spotify.com/album/1O2nSK93TqsVNqbewOrGS7?highlight=spotify:track:4RGO2DLWNRDYjj0ci0JQFn



I think we discussed this once before, I did find those two on Apple Music and Qobuz and they sounded pretty similar to the Testament. But the Alexandre Bak label seems somewhat mysterious - no physical media, no web site of it's own, and they have stuff from the major labels that are considered lynchpins of the discography. Do they license tapes? Do they rely on the source being out-of-copyright in some jurisdiction? Do they transfer from LPs? Do they they transfer from CDs issued by other labels? Does anyone know?

Meanwhile, I'll listen to some of it on AB using Apple Music.

AnotherSpin

I am curious to know what this Alexander Bak label is as well. Although, in an apparent world of emergent objects, what does it matter. As I write this, I'm listening to Nocturne 7 in performance by Germaine Thyssens-Valentin from a.m. edition. I wasn't really into it this minute.

Spotted Horses

#419
Quote from: AnotherSpin on May 29, 2024, 07:20:59 AMI am curious to know what this Alexander Bak label is as well. Although, in an apparent world of emergent objects, what does it matter. As I write this, I'm listening to Nocturne 7 in performance by Germaine Thyssens-Valentin from a.m. edition. I wasn't really into it this minute.

As a person who earns a living creating intellectual property, I prefer to support content creators, rather than organizations that steal content. It feels right, and it directs resources to the creators, facilitating the creation of more content.

The last time I looked on line I didn't find anything definite about the label, but this time I came up with this page, which has a video by Alexandre himself.

https://www.patreon.com/cmrr/about?l=it