Fauré: Complete Nocturnes

Gabriel Faure (Composer), David Jalbert (Performer) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Performer: David Jalbert
• Composer: Gabriel Faure
• Audio CD (April 11, 2006)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Endeavour Classics
• ASIN: B000EQ472M
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #81,301 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Editorial Reviews

"Jalbert’s piano-playing is remarkable for its sweep, confidence, sensitivity, power and color." -FANFARE

"Jalbert appears to be able to do anything he wants at the piano." – ClassicsToday

Fauré’s Nocturnes are, after Chopin’s, among the most beautiful and beloved in the piano literature. They span almost his entire creative career, a period of nearly 50 years. This recording attempts to reconcile the two seemingly opposite aspects of Fauré’s piano writing: the clarity of rhythm and texture, and the warm lyricism he inherited from his Romantic predecessors.Pianist David Jalbert is one of the most firebrand talents of the new generation. With his personal style, incomparable stage presence and refined ear, he has convinced audiences and critics everywhere in North America. His first solo disc, dedicated to the works of Corigliano and Rzewski, was launched to great applause on Endeavour in 2004. Another disc of music for cello and piano followed in 2005. Jalbert’s interests in literature, cinema, rock ‘n’ roll and blues shine through his musical selections, which can be heard regularly on CBC Radio and Radio-Canada broadcasts. Notes in English and French by acclaimed Fauré biographer Jessica Duchen.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Surprisingly Mature, August 27, 2009

By 

Garry Feeney "Greybeard" (Sydney. Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fauré: Complete Nocturnes (Audio CD)

Direct comparison of this recording with that of Germaine Thyssens-Valentin is not unfavourable to this young pianist. He shows laudable restraint where some might exaggerate for effect and although he lacks the timing, subtlty and depth of interpretation of Thyssens-Valentin, (whom I regard as the benchmark in these works), he plays with a winning touch that is both fresh and beautiful. It is a surprisingly mature effort and offers excellent sound quality. I am happy to own this version of the nocturns along with others. I can't believe any lover of Faure would be disappointed.

14 of 16 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great Faure CD, July 28, 2007

By 

Amy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fauré: Complete Nocturnes (Audio CD)

A pupil of Saint Saens and a mentor of Maurice Ravel, Gabriel Faure was a transitional figure in musical history; as Beethoven did with Classical and Romantic music, Faure similarly straddled the Romantic and Impressionistic labels. Claude Debussy and Ravel, the first full-fledged Impressionists, certainly pick up where Faure left off.

In these solo piano pieces, generally from the latter half of Faure's career, both the Romantic inspirations and the Impressionistic harmonies are evident. I am reminded of Brahms in Faure's use of the lower register of the keyboard which gives a more haunting sound, and of Mendelssohn in Faure's beautiful melodies, especially in his earlier Romances sans Paroles, a tribute to Mendelssohn's Songs without Words. But in Faure's nocturnes, influenced by Chopin, there are harmonies unlike any other in the Romantic era; ambiguous, hazy, and very Debussian. His Nocturnes No. 7 and 8 of 1898 are unbelievably radical for 19th century music, by any standard. My favorite Faure nocturne is No. 11, very heartbreaking and beautiful. The reason I like Faure's nocturnes to Chopin's is because they are not as straight forward. With Faure you have to really sit down and take time for repeated listenings to fully appreciate the beauty in Faure's music. Overall, Faure uses a romantic framework to advance his very forward-looking impressionistic style. If you love Faure as I do I highly recommend this cd.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Like hearing Faure's Nocturnes for the first time, August 4, 2007

By 

John R. Blackburn Jr. (Santa Clara, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fauré: Complete Nocturnes (Audio CD)

I've heard many versions of Faure's Nocturnes, some by very talented and reputable classical pianists. But none have succeeded in simultaneously capturing the modal complexity and melodic beauty of these thirteen pieces as well as Jalbert.