Description
The Nocturnes and Barcarolles demonstrate Fauré's art at its most personal, progressing from early lyricism to the elusive, rarefied style of the later works.
Marc-André Hamelin's performances are predictably fine, and combine exceptional subtlety with magisterial keyboard authority.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE, OCTOBER 2023
"To whichever composer Marc-Andre Hamelin turns his (amazing) hand(s), he reinvents himself, chameleon-like, to convince you that he is the authoritative voice of that composer […]. This is refined pianism of a high order" – Gramophone
"Hamelin's performances are an arresting and freely expressive antidote to a more restricted French tradition. […] Even in the early Barcarolles and Nocturnes, their insinuating, erotic contours and charm are given with an unapologetic weight and conviction." – International Piano
"Hamelin's superb technique and no doubt many hours of careful thought pay dividends, magisterially impressing on us the power and beauty of this music, which traces a path that no composer after Fauré chose, or perhaps dared, to tread." – BBC Music Magazine (Performance 5 STARS, Recording 5 STARS)
"Hearing Hamelin play Fauré is like observing the workings of a luxury-brand wristwatch with its many interdependent and intricately connected parts working in perfect harmony to produce the movement you see on the clockface." – Gramophone
"Playing with delectation and passion, as required, Marc-André Hamelin is a super-league guide through this fascinating repertoire that has so much to yield. […] recommended unreservedly." – Colin Anderson
CLAUDE DEBUSSY - Image & Preludes II (CDA67920)
"The poetic sheen and finish of all these performances are things to marvel at, leaving me to long for more Debussy, to say nothing of Faure and Ravel, from an artist supremely attuned to the French repertoire"
- Gramophone Magazine