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Fauré Mélodies vols 1-3 (Graham Johnson with many singers) Hyperion CDA67333 (69 minutes)
Hyperion CDA67334 (69 minutes)
Hyperion is releasing the third of a projected four-volume new Fauré cycle of the complete Mélodies. The project recreates for home listeners the manner of the pioneering Songmakers Almanac concerts, usually in Wigmore Hall, in which a group of singers shared songs in thematic programmes, always accompanied by Graham Johnson, whose perceptive commentaries were a delight of the occasions. Johnson allocates them to the voices originally intended, sparing himself the need to transpose the accompaniments (not that doing so would cause him a moment's worry) which can alter the character of a song significantly. It is tempting to think of these recordings as similar occasions to Songmakers Almanac evenings, the singers taking their turns and sitting alongside on the platform to listen to their colleagues, as if participating in a Soirée.... Alas, that is fantasy; these recordings were made over several years 2002-2004 and presumably sorted out afterwards by Hyperion and Johnson. I wonder if they had the luxury of choosing between different singers' accounts of some of the songs? Each of the discs has a mixture of early, middle period and late Mélodies, and readers who know best the popular examples from the mid-years of Fauré's songwriting may be in for some surprises. The late cycles, the last composed when he was in his late '70s, frail and troubled by hearing difficulties, are some of my favourites. They are reticent and intimate, ideal for private listening at home, and grow on you with repetition. The compelling reason to acquire at least some of these new recordings (perhaps eventually they will be boxed?) is the dual role of Graham Johnson, to whom we are once again indebted as our guide, for his writing equally as his perceptive piano playing. His commentaries are always apposite and have something particular to tell about each song. Often he finds a telling phrase and image which puts his finger on the essence of a song and lingers in the mind. (Another good reason to support this venture is Hyperion's current difficulties after controversial legal wrangling about early music copyright.) It is not my way to embark upon comparative reviews; I have some of the songs in recordings by greats of the past, to some of whom Johnson pays tribute in his texts, legendary names including Croiza, Teyte, Panzera, Bernac, Sousay & Ameling etc etc; this is a collectors' field that can become addictive! There are two survivors of the original Songmakers Almanac. In the first volume Felicity Lott sings the Cinq Mélodies de Venise and Stephen Varcoe has Fauré’s penultimate cycle, Mirages. Of others, the Irish soprano Geraldine McGreevy makes distinguished contributions to each disc. Jean-Paul Fouchécourt's stylish light tenor (the only native French singer - but you don't have to worry about the French pronunciation of the others) is to be enjoyed in Volume 3, in which there are also some attractive piano duets with Ronan O'Hara. The recording quality can be taken for granted and the documentation is remarkable; can Johnson have done it all? There are timetables of Fauré’s song-writing life, with the songs in each volume highlighted. You can find comprehensive background information, with various indexes prepared by Graham Johnson 'each useful for different reasons to performers, programme-planners or simple enthusiasts' (and all the notes in French too) by clicking here on Hyperion's website, where you can hear some complete songs ("Listening Room") and you may like also to check out Gramophone's reviews? |
