Composer: Gabriel Fauré
Performer: Benjamin Bruns, Olga Peretyatko, Balthasar-Neumann-Chor
Orchestra: Sinfonieorchester Basel
Conductor: Ivor Bolton
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Sony
Size: 1.19 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: cover
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
With the Basel Symphony on fine form, Bolton teases out Faure’s textural and emotional subtleties with great care, scrupulously judging both the delicate wit of Shylock and the altogether loftier mood of Caligula. The Balthasar Neumann Choir sound good in the latter: the tenor in Shylock is Benjamin Bruns, warm-toned and very ardent.
The real revelation for me here was the incidental music which Fauré composed for Alexandre Dumas père’s Caligula in 1889 – the emphasis is squarely upon the notorious Roman emperor’s taste for luxury and sensuality rather than his fabled brutality, and (once the Lohengrin-lite military fanfare of the opening has been despatched) the score has the soft-focus sheen of an early Hollywood blockbuster.