Chandos' latest recording from the BBC Philharmonic contains a unique programme of all Fauré's major choral works, conducted by one of the great exponents of French music. Yan Pascal Tortelier.

The disc combines the full orchestra version of his perennially popular Requiem with the Cantique de jean Racine, Pavane and the rarely recorded La Naissance de Vénus.

Tortelier's previous CD of Faure's orchestral music received superb critical acclaim, as indeed do all his recordings of French music with the BBC Philharmonic.



This disc, recorded to Chandos’ usual high standards, is also available as a surround sound hybrid SACD (CHSA 5019).


"The success of the Requiem took Fauré quite by surprise, as he had written the work purely for his own pleasure and use. As an organist, he found the music he played to accompany funerals uncongenial, particularly as he did not care for the Catholic emphasis on fear before judgement and on potential torment. Fauré’s Requiem journeys from sombre gloom, with shafts of sunlight gradually breaking through the clouds, until it reaches the clear skies of In Paradisum.

La Naissance de Vénus preceded the Requiem by five years and it was clearly a work he held in high esteem, so it is strange that it should have been so neglected in the recording catalogue. The reason may lie in the reputation it has gained through the writings of various experts, who, while conceding that the work contains ‘undoubtedly one of Fauré’s finest orchestral passages’, damn it for its banal text and for the ‘academic’ music in the final chorus. It is true that the text, which was written by a wealthy would-be author, was not Fauré’s choice. Nevertheless, the subject was very close to Fauré’s heart and much of the music is equal to his best.

Cantique de Jean Racine, which has become almost an unofficial companion to the Requiem, was in fact written many years earlier in 1865, when Fauré was just twenty. Its sober, limpid harmonies and pliant melodic lines make it seem a natural pendent to the much later Requiem. Fauré composed Pavane in the summer of 1887, originally for orchestra alone, and dedicated it to the Countess Elisabeth Greffulhe. He persuaded her cousin to provide a text to accompany the music and duly incorporated it into the version which has been recorded here.
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Although Faurés original version of the requiem accompanied by organ and chamber forces has been much revived in recent years, there is still room for a performance of his orchestral version as good as this one. It boasts arguably the countrys best symphonic chorus and a pair of solo voices - the aptly treble-like soprano of Libby Crabtree and sonorous bass of James Rutherford - who bring across the compassion of Faurés vision. Yan Pascal Tortelier marshals the scoring with drive and warmth.
This is quite simply, a gorgeous recording. With his pliant phrasing, his smooth dynamic swells, his warmly blended strings-saturated colours (woodwinds are suave rather than tangy), his tender rubato (note the elegant control of the rhythm at the end of the Requiems Agnus Dei) and his gentle accents, Yan Pascal Tortelier highlights Faurés transcendent calm with nothing to startle the listener or interrupt the tranquil flow of the music.
…Beautifully played and richly recorded, with Yan Pascal Tortelier a most understanding interprete.
The Pavane and Cantique de Jean Racine both breathe the calm of the Requiem. While they are enjoyable makeweights, the discs revelation is a wonderful performance of the rarely heard La Naissance de Venus… this piece is a little gem
All in all, a very satisfying recording, and especially fo those who prefere a full-blown interpretation of these pieces.
Tortelier gives intensely felt readings'
…It is hard to imagine how Torteliers devoted and intuitive conducting could be bettered.
'This is quite simply, a gorgeous recording. With his pliant phrasing, his smooth dynamic swells, his warmly blended strings-saturated colours (woodwinds are suave rather than tangy), his tender rubato (note the elegant control of the rhythm at the end of the Requiem's Agnus Dei) and his gentle accents, Yan Pascal Tortelier highlights Fauré's transcendent calm with nothing to startle the listener or interrupt the tranquil flow of the music.'
'The Pavane and Cantique de Jean Racine both breathe the calm of the Requiem. While they are enjoyable makeweights, the disc's revelation is a wonderful performance of the rarely heard La Naissance de Venus… this piece is a little gem'.
'Although Fauré's original version of the requiem accompanied by organ and chamber forces has been much revived in recent years, there is still room for a performance of his orchestral version as good as this one. It boasts arguably the country's best symphonic chorus and a pair of solo voices - the aptly treble-like soprano of Libby Crabtree and sonorous bass of James Rutherford - who bring across the compassion of Fauré's vision. Yan Pascal Tortelier marshals the scoring with drive and warmth.'

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