Annotator
Dominic Wells
is quite right to point out that neither
Gabriel Fauré
nor
Francis Poulenc
is known for orchestral music, and the works here are not played terribly frequently. This may be reason enough in itself to take a new look at these pieces, but the performances by pianist
Romain Descharmes
and the
Malmö Opera Orchestra
(itself not known for instrumental music) are another attraction.
Descharmes
is a veteran who captures the vastly different styles on the program (more than 70 years elapsed between
Fauré
's early
Ballade in F sharp minor, Op. 19
, and
Poulenc
's brusque
Piano Concerto
, from 1948). Yet he also catches a certain common thread; all the works are filled with gorgeous melodies, and
captures these with the right aplomb. The
concerto, written for an American tour by the composer, is enjoyable, with allusions to both
Stephen Foster
's
Old Folks at Home
and the Brazilian maxixe dance, but probably most intriguing is the
Aubade for piano and chamber orchestra
, a little programmatic ballet piece about the huntress Diana. The two
works are also worth revisiting; the
Ballade
evolves over 15 minutes from sparse textures to big Lisztian flourishes at the end, and here, too,
is able. This little recording belongs in good collections of French music. ~ James Manheim