1845īorn in Pamiers (Ariège) on May 12, the son of a primary school teacher.Īttends the École de musique classique et religieuse (founded by L. His creative work is centered around the art song, piano music (nocturnes, barcarolles, impromptus, valse-caprice), and chamber music – alongside other genres. The companion work is the Symphony in D minor by César Franck, less popular now than it used to be, and undeniably vulgar in parts, but fearlessly, pungently played.Representative exponent of French music around 1900.

With ravishingly beautiful orchestral effects – the restrained brass calls sweeping across the Sanctus always send a shiver down the spine – this is a great reinterpretation of a masterpiece. In an ample acoustic, with period instruments, the excellent Collegium Vocale Gent is placed quite far back, and the result is intensely atmospheric if not always perfect in its detail (the first note of baritone Stephan Genz’s “Libera me” takes a while to be heard). Philippe Herreweghe recorded such a version some 13 years ago, and now returns to the Requiem in the full orchestral garb with which it was published in 1901 (Harmonia Mundi). The work took a while to reach a final orchestration, as the composer experimented with several small-scale versions, and recent conductors have tended to prefer these smaller accounts. Its contemplative tone omits the famous Dies irae sequence and ends instead with the visionary text In paradisum deducant Angeli. With its serene peacefulness and yearning melodies it is quite unlike many dramatic Requiem masses, from Verdi to Britten. There are just a few pieces of music you can describe as perfect in every way, and one I would nominate is Gabriel Fauré’s setting of the Requiem.

Faure prelude in d flat major