For a long time, I had cherished the desire to record my favorite pieces by Gabriel Fauré for solo piano. When I was 15, my teacher, Jean-Paul Sévilla, first introduced me to the music of Fauré, whose works he particularly admired. In Ottawa, where I grew up, we often had the opportunity to experience many of his compositions live. Besides piano pieces, he also introduced us to Fauré's chamber music and songs. While browsing through the complete edition of his Mélodies, reading the texts and translations, I felt a special connection to Fauré. By my mid-twenties, I had mastered almost all the pieces in this selection, some of them much earlier; they are like old friends.
Fauré's piano music usually evokes two reactions: either it is completely unknown or it is dismissed as "salon music." Those who love his works, however, defend their musical quality and Fauré's significance with great passion.
It's fascinating that Fauré was born in 1845—a time when Schumann was completing his Piano Concerto, Chopin was working on his Third Piano Sonata, and Berlioz was writing La damnation de Faust. When Fauré died in 1924, Schoenberg's Pierrot Lunaire had already been in existence for twelve years. Despite all the political upheavals of those eighty years, Fauré remained largely unaffected by external events. In 1908, he wrote to his son that art and music should elevate people beyond the everyday.
Fauré's music is unmistakable for its harmonic language and melodic richness. His piano pieces are considered particularly difficult to memorize, comparable to works by Bach. The constantly shifting harmonies and technical demands deter many, yet they reveal an art characterized by elegance and refinement. Marcel Proust once remarked that he found himself intoxicated by Fauré's music.
Like Debussy, Fauré grew up in a family with little musical background. He gained his first musical experiences at a monastery near his parents' home. At the age of nine, his father sent him to the École Niedermeyer in Paris, where he learned about sacred music. When Saint-Saëns succeeded Louis de Niedermeyer as a teacher, a close friendship developed between the two.
Before devoting himself entirely to composition, Fauré was an organist at several churches. In 1892, he was appointed professor of composition at the Paris Conservatoire, after the then-director, Ambroise Thomas, had initially rejected his application. Over time, Fauré reformed and taught at the institution, becoming known there as "Robespierre." His students included Ravel, Enescu, and Nadia Boulanger.
Before devoting himself entirely to composition, Fauré was an organist at several churches. The album opens with Fauré's most extensive piano work, Thème et variations, Op. 73, which marks an important phase in his artistic development. The Valses-caprices, Nocturnes, and Ballade pour piano seul represent different creative periods. Each of these works reflects a unique facet of Fauré's musical output and development.