Olga Peretyatko – The Secret Faure: Orchestral Songs & Suites (2018) [FLAC 24bit/96kHz]

If Le Secret is the title of a melody that Gabriel Fauré composed on a rather vapid poem by Armand Silvestre, it doesn’t seem like it inspired the title of the present album called “The Secret Fauré”, and it is rather underlining the rare and intimate character of the works. Ivor Bolton, conducting the Sinfonieorchester Basel, of which he is the artistic director, offers a very subtle selection composed of extracts of stage music or music for the stage: Caligula, Pénélope, Shylock, Pelléas et Mélisande, mixed with a few melodies orchestrated by Fauré or more probably by his friends, such as Charles Koechlin.

The Russian soprano Olga Peretyatko, the new international queen of bel canto, lends her voice to the very discreet art of Fauré. Forgotten are her numerous Traviata in Berlin, at the Met or in Vienna, in favor of a song of a reserved limpidity. Alongside her, tenor Benjamin Bruns and the Balthasar Neumann female choir complete this disc devoted to a certain French spirit seen from outside, made of a blend of insouciance, discreet elegance and some futility. – François Hudry

Tracklist:
01. Caligula, Op. 52: I. Prologue. Fanfares-March et Choeur. Quasi Adagio
02. Caligula, Op. 52: II. L’hiver s’enfuit (Choeur)
03. Caligula, Op. 52: III. Air de Danse
04. Caligula, Op. 52: IV. De roses vermeilles (Mélodrame et Choeur)
05. Caligula, Op. 52: V. Ceésar a fermeé la paupieère (Mélodrame et Choeur)
06. Pénélope, IGF 69: Prélude
07. Les roses d’Ispahan, Op. 39, No. 4
08. Soir, Op. 83, No. 2
09. Clair de lune, Op. 46, No. 2
10. Après un rêve, Op. 7, No. 1
11. Shylock, Op. 57: I. Chanson
12. Shylock, Op. 57: II. Entr’acte
13. Shylock, Op. 57: III. Madrigal
14. Shylock, Op. 57: IV. Epithaleme
15. Shylock, Op. 57: V. Nocturne
16. Shylock, Op. 57: VI. Final
17. Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: I. Prélude
18. Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: II. Fileuse
19. Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: III. Sicilienne
20. Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: IV. Chant de Mélisande
21. Pelléas et Mélisande, Op. 80: V. La mort de Mélisande