Faure: Requiem / Bott, Cachemaille; Gardiner | Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, ...

Faure: Requiem / Bott, Cachemaille; Gardiner | Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, ... | a voice teacher and early music fan

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Faure: Requiem / B...

	Faure: Requiem / Bott, Cachemaille; Gardiner Gabriel Fauré, Camille Saint-Saëns, ... Philips, 1994 average customer review:based on 10 reviews view larger image
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highly recommended

This generously programmed disc provides excellent value and outstanding performances of both major and lesser-known masterpieces of French choral music. The Fauré Requiem has been recorded many times, and several excellent versions of the original orchestration are available on disc. This one is among them, owing to John Eliot Gardiner's experience and perfectionist mastery of details overlooked by less-successful choral conductors. The real bonus here is the inclusion of the popular but very difficult Debussy and Ravel chansons, and the rarely heard but eminently worthy little part songs by Saint-Saëns. These pieces are a lesson in how to achieve maximum effect with the simplest materials. -- David Vernier

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Very sensitive and beautiful period instrument recording

This is an exquisite performance of Fauré's great Requiem and it is one of my favourite recordings by Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique - even though their numbers are low in this recording. Gardiner uses the original chamber version of the work by the composer. The Monteverdi Choir is very good, as always, and it is nice to hear countertenors in the choir in this work. Childrens voices augment the Monteverdi Choir.

Catherine Bott sings with great feeling and purity. Listen to her Pie Jesu and you will buy this recording. Gilles Cachemaille is very good French baritone and I always enjoy his contributions to recordings.

Along with the Gardiner / Orchestre Révolutionnaire et Romantique recordings of the Requiems of Verdi and Brahms, this is a fine recording to own. You'll probably never need to consider another recording after you've heard this one. Lovers of HIP will be enthralled and those who aren't normally attracted to that approach will be very pleasantly surprised.

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a voice teacher and early music fan

'GARDINER'S REQUIEM: TRES UNIQUE, BUT 'HIS' FRENCH ART SONGS: C'EST MAGNIFIQUE!!
How ingenious of John Eliot Gardiner to choose this so-called second setting of Faure's Requiem with its lighter instrumentation, for it creates, even more than usual, an ethereal effect, and in fact, is somewhat eerie. I loved it, but then I loved many of the other renditions of this magnificent work (one being the 1967 David Willcocks King's College Choir). They all have their merits and are worthy of note, just as the many 'Messiah's'that are available for us to enjoy, and we select the one that suits our present mood. However, my focus in this review is on the wonderfully performed Art Songs on this disc by Saint Saens, Faure, Ravel and Debussy. These are not performed very often and a few rarely.

'Camille Saint Saens'(1835-1921) was racked with pain when people addressed him as Saint Sanes. He held the human race to blame because they could not pronounce his name.' (Ogden Nash). I couldn't resist including this little verse, and in a way it reflects somewhat the mood of Saint Saen's life, for although he was looked upon highly by academics of his era, his fellow musicans were not that kind. His songs do not reflect this aspect, but have wonderfully singable lines. Moreover, above all he cares for the words and one need only to try changing notes at any point to discover how impeccably right his settings are. On this disc we hear: 'Calme des nuits'-'Les fleurs et les arbres'-'Des pas dans l'alee'.

Faure chose Victor Hugo's poems for a number of his early works which include (on this disc) 'Les djinns'(truly remarkable song that tests the mettle of the singers, and they are not found wanting). After Hugo, Faure turned his attention to a minor poet, Armand Silvestre,whose words, less forceful than Hugo's, nonetheless provided him with enough in the way of concrete imagery that resulted in the other song on this recording 'Madrigal'.

Debussy's 'Trois chansons de Charles d'Orleans' refer to the past through his choice of this fifteenth century poet. The first and third songs survive in an earlier 1898 version. The decidedly modal style of these settings gave way in a 1908 revision to a more elaborate, chromatic one. The imitative entries in the third song are the only patent example of this academic technique in Debussy's published output.

Ravel's 'Trois Chansons', published in 1916, combine pastoral activity and worldly cynicism. And these songs are rarely recorded!

All of this unaccaompanied music on this recording refers back in one way or another to the French partsongs of the Renaissance. And who can put them across in every way better than Gardiner with his scholarly approach, wanting all parts to be authentic and accurate.???!!!

With a 'flick' of his wrist or an understood signal to his choir he produces some of the most outstanding performances known to the musical world (at least to me). His choir is not only technically perfect in these difficult French songs, but is sensitive to the MANY and VARIED moods and subtleties therein. They never lose sight of the song's meaning; their tone is buoyant, their diction is flawless and the music always MOVES FORWARD. THIS IS A GREAT LISTENING TREAT!!!!

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Gardiner Does Faure

Faure's Grecian, pastel-shaded Requiem works well with the Gardiner steamlined treatment, and Faure's unconventional original scoring - with violins omitted except for a solo violin - is different and refreshing. It makes one wonder if perhaps Faure was beginning to see a way out of the obligatory gray, massed orchestral sound of the 19th century, just as he found modal chord progressions as a way out of the exhaustion of the functional tonal system.

Excellent Version of Requiem

Faure's Requiem is one of my favorite pieces of all time. This is an excellent version.

Original orchestration

I bought this recording because it uses Fauré's original orchestration for the Requiem; for example, the solo violin in movement 3: Sanctus, instead of the entire first violin section.

I enjoy the orchestra's performance. The choir's and vocal soloists' style aren't to my personal liking, but still provide a satisfying and well executed performance. The sopranos sound more like a boys choir at times rather than a womens choir--a nice touch. The choir is fine if you enjoy British-style non-vibrato choirs. I usually find that particular style a bit more hollow and brassy sounding than I prefer.

The rest of the pieces on the recording are also well executed, but don't do much for me. Then again I was mostly interested original orchestration of the Requiem. No doubt those with more educated tastes will appreciate these other pieces more than I.

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