Faure / Collard Piano Works: Complete CD

Faur?'s compositional style can be divided into four periods. The earliest is the romantic style, particularly noticeable in the works from the 1870s where the spirit of Chopin hovers over the early Nocturnes. Next are the works dating from the 1880s when he became close to poets such as Verlaine. The music from these years is dreamy, languid and tortuously melodious. The third style from the 1890s is bold and assertive, and the many of the great piano works date from this period. The final style is confident, when Faur? felt able to pursue a solitary course, with a string of remarkable works including the late Nocturnes and the 5th Impromptu. The music is sparse in texture, but rich in expressive dissonances. Jean-Philippe Collard is one of the great exponents of this repertoire. Collard, confirming the impression made by his other records, proves an excellent choice, equal to all this music's technical demands, as his refined control of the frequently shifting textures of the Op. 33 set (Nos. 1-3) shows. His identification with Faure's musical thought also appears to be complete, and this is the major point, because a long journey is travelled between Nocturne No. 1 of 1883 and No. 13, which was published in 1922.

1. Nocturne for Piano No. 1 in E Flat minor, Op. 33/1 2. Nocturne for Piano No. 2 in B Major, Op. 33/2 3. Nocturne for Piano No. 3 in a Flat Major, Op.33/3 4. Nocturne for Piano No. 4 in E Major, Op. 36 5. Nocturne for Piano No. 5 in B Flat Major, Op. 37 6. Nocturne for Piano No. 6 in D Flat Major, Op. 63 7. Nocturne for Piano No. 7 in C Sharp minor, Op. 74 8. Nocturne for Piano No. 8 in D Flat Major (Also in Huit Pi?ces Br?ves), Op. 84/8 9. Nocturne for Piano No. 9 in B minor, Op. 97 10. Nocturne for Piano No. 10 in B minor, Op. 99 11. Nocturne for Piano No. 11 in F Sharp minor, Op. 104/1 12. Barcarolle for Piano No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26 13. Barcarolle for Piano No. 2 in G Major, Op. 41 14. Barcarolle for Piano No. 3 in G Flat Major, Op. 42 15. Barcarolle for Piano No. 4 in a Flat Major, Op. 44 16. Barcarolle for Piano No. 5 in F Sharp minor, Op. 66 17. Barcarolle for Piano No. 6 in E Flat Major, Op. 70 18. Barcarolle for Piano No. 7 in D minor, Op. 90 19. Barcarolle for Piano No. 8 in D Flat Major, Op. 96 20. Barcarolle for Piano No. 9 in A minor, Op. 101 21. Barcarolle for Piano No. 10 in A minor, Op. 104/2 22. Barcarolle for Piano No. 11 in G minor, Op. 105 23. Barcarolle for Piano No. 12 in E Flat Major, Op.106Bis 24. Barcarolle for Piano No. 13 in C Major, Op. 116 25. Impromptu for Piano No. 1 in E Flat Major, Op. 25 26. Impromptu for Piano No. 2 in F minor, Op. 31 27. Impromptu for Piano No. 3 in a Flat Major, Op. 34 28. Impromptu for Piano No. 4 in D Flat Major, Op. 91 29. Impromptu for Piano No. 5 in F Sharp minor, Op. 102 30. Valse-Caprice for Piano No. 1 in a Major, Op. 30 31. Valse-Caprice for Piano No. 2 in D Flat Major, Op. 38 32. Valse-Caprice for Piano No. 3 in G Flat Major, Op. 59 33. Valse-Caprice for Piano No. 4 in a Flat Major, Op. 62 34. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Capriccio in E Flat 35. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Fantasie in a Flat 36. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Fugue in A minor 37. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Adagietto in E minor 38. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Improvisation in C Sharp minor 39. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Fugue in E minor 40. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: All?gresse in C 41. Pi?ces Br?ves (8), for Piano, Op. 84: Nocturne in D Flat 42. Mazurka for Piano in B Flat Major, Op. 32 43. Romances Sans Paroles (3) for Piano, Op. 17: No. 1 in a Flat 44. Romances Sans Paroles (3) for Piano, Op. 17: No. 2 in A minor 45. Romances Sans Paroles (3) for Piano, Op. 17: No. 3 in a Flat 46. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Berceuse 47. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Mi-A-Ou 48. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Le Jardin de Dolly 49. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Kitty-Valse 50. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Tendresse 51. Dolly, Suite for Piano, 4 Hands or Orchestra, Op. 56: Le Pas Espagnol 52. Souvenirs de Bayreuth, for Piano, 4 Hands ('Fantaisie en Forme de Quadrille... de R. Wagner')