Gabriel Fauré - Orchestral Works (Seiji Ozawa)

Information

Composer: Gabriel Fauré

• (01-05) Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80
• (06) Après un Rêve, Op. 7, No. 1 (arr. Arkadij Dubenskij)
• (07) Pavane, Op. 50
• (08) Elégie, Op. 24
• (09-14) Dolly Suite, Op. 56

Lorraine Hunt Lieberson, mezzo-soprano (3)
Jules Eskin, cello (6, 8)
Tanglewood Festival Chorus (7)
Boston Symphony Orchestra
Seiji Ozawa, conductor

Date: 1987
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
http://www.deutschegrammophon.com/en/cat/4230892

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Review

Seiji Ozawa had a flair for the French repertory, and here he delivers an unusually passionate reading of Fauré’s masterpiece, one that exhibits great sensitivity and a fine feel for pacing. He is clearly drawn to the tragic element in the music, and is most persuasive in the score’s outer movements. A point of particular interest is the inclusion of a song entitled “Chanson de Mélisande,” which Fauré set directly in English. There is some wonderfully coloristic solo work from the Bostonians in these performances, and the orchestral discipline is excellent. Although the violins seem to have been recorded in a rather harsh light, the sound is quite satisfactory.

-- Ted Libbey, author of The NPR Guide to Building a Classical CD Collection.

More reviews:
http://www.amazon.com/Faure-Pelleas-Et-Melisande-Dolly/dp/B000001G8P

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Gabriel Fauré (12 May 1845 – 4 November 1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. Among his best-known works are his Pavane, Requiem, nocturnes for piano and the songs "Après un rêve" and "Clair de lune". Fauré composed many of his most highly regarded works in his later years, in a more harmonically and melodically complex style. His music has been described as linking the end of Romanticism with 20th century modernism.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gabriel_Faur%C3%A9

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Seiji Ozawa (born September 1, 1935) is a Japanese conductor, best known for his 29 years tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1979-2002). He was also the principal conductor of the Vienna State Opera from 2002 to 2010. Ozawa has been an advocate of 20th-century classical music, giving the premieres of a number of works including György Ligeti's San Francisco Polyphony in 1975 and Olivier Messiaen's opera Saint François d'Assise in 1983.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seiji_Ozawa

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