I have enjoyed very
much the previous two CDs in this series,
both of which have been warmly received
here. In fact, I was one of those who
praised
Volume Two. The songs were recorded
over a three year period, using a number
of singers, and very sensibly, now that
Hyperion have got all the songs "in
the can" they are releasing the
CDs in fairly rapid succession so that
collectors following the series don’t
have too long to wait between releases.
To recap very quickly,
Graham Johnson, the moving spirit behind
this venture, has decided on a novel
approach, grouping the songs not chronologically
but instead in four broad thematic groups,
one per CD, within each of which the
songs are then presented in chronological
order. Previously it has crossed my
mind that Johnson’s thematic groups
have been stretched a bit broadly by
some of the songs which he has included.
In the case of this third collection,
however, I think that the songs fit
fairly comfortably within his theme,
Chanson d’amour.
Because Graham Johnson
has chosen to use a variety of singers
in this project and to allot songs to
them in some or each of the separate
programmes there is a risk that a particular
CD will sound fragmented. Oddly enough,
despite the fact that about thirty per
cent of the present disc is taken up
with one cycle, La bonne chanson,
I found myself feeling a little more
aware of an element of disunity on this
occasion than had been the case with
the preceding volumes. For example,
it seemed odd on the face of it to have
one song, Fleur jetée,
sung by John Mark Ainsley, positioned
in between two other songs sung by his
fellow tenor, Jean-Paul Fouchécourt,
whose voice is so different. However,
having said that I guess that Johnson
has chosen vocal horses for courses
and it seems to me that Ainsley’s bigger
voice and his ability to sing with a
more heroic, ringing timbre is better
suited to the song than his colleague’s
lighter, more heady voice would have
been. So, if one accepts the chronological
ordering within each programme (which
I do) then I think one has to go along
with hearing different singers cheek
by jowl, as it were, so as to get the
right voice matching each song.
One of Graham Johnson’s
objections to following a strict chronological
presentation of Fauré’s entire
output of mélodies is
that the collector would not necessarily
want a CD containing nothing but early
songs. I think he’s right. The first
four songs on this CD, composed between
1862 and 1878 didn’t really engage my
attention, pretty though they are. It’s
only with the short cycle of three songs,
Poème d’un jour (1878)
that one really feels that Fauré
had found his voice as a songwriter,
especially in terms of his responsiveness
to texts. The first and third songs
in this little collection (it’s arguable
whether it’s truly a cycle) seem to
me particularly to represent a compositional
step forward. John Mark Ainsley sings
them all very well.
The major offering
in the collection is the mature cycle,
La bonne chanson (1892-94). Here
we find the composer at the zenith of
his powers. The cycle is allotted to
Christopher Maltman and this proves
to be a judicious choice for, as my
colleague Christopher Howell rightly
observes in his review of this CD, his
voice is more refulgent than that of
his colleague, Stephen Varcoe. I’ve
always liked Varcoe’s voice but I think
it would not be ideally suited to these
songs, as it now seems to lack the amplitude
that they ideally need. Maltman makes
a very good job of them. To my ears
he is responsive and imaginative, his
French sounds good and he sings expressively
without ever overstating his case. There
are many felicitous touches, not the
least of which is his delivery of the
final line ‘C’est l’heure exquise’ in
the third song, ‘La lune blanche’ (track
23). His singing of this phrase is beautifully
poised and, for me, marks him out as
an artist of no little sensitivity.
But turn to the very next song, ‘J’allais
par des chemins perfides’ and you find
him just as capable of robust, impassioned
singing.
The way the songs have
fallen in this volume means that, sadly,
we hear little of the female singers
that Johnson has assembled for this
project. Felicity Lott sings her two
songs enchantingly but the sole song
given to Jennifer Smith does not allow
her to make much of an impression.
I was fascinated to
hear the pieces from Fauré’s
incidental music for the play, Shylock.
There are six numbers. Two are vocal,
disarmingly sung by Jean-Paul Fouchécourt.
In these Johnson accompanies him. The
remaining four numbers are heard in
an arrangement for two pianos made,
with Fauré’s consent, by the
composer, Léon Boëllmann.
These are very rare and were only discovered
by chance by Graham Johnson some years
ago. I’ve only ever heard Fauré’s
music in its more familiar orchestral
guise and Johnson warns listeners that
there are differences between the two
versions. The arrangements seem to me
to work reasonably well and the ‘Nocturne’
is an especially lovely piece, even
if two pianos can’t quite match orchestral
strings for delicacy, even when the
pianists play as well as they do here.
I believe this CD is
a worthy successor to the two previous
volumes. The standard of singing is
high and, need one say it, the standard
of Graham Johnson’s accompaniment is
as high as one would expect from him.
His notes, as usual, are a mine of information
and informed opinion and he manages
to be erudite but at all times eminently
readable. Hyperion provide the full
French texts with English translations
and good recorded sound merely heightens
the listener’s pleasure.
This series is proving
to be a significant addition to the
Fauré discography. I welcome
this CD as enthusiastically as I look
forward to Volume Four and the completion
of the project.
John Quinn
See also review
by Christopher Howell
Other reviews
Volume
1 Ian Lace
Recording of the Month February
Volume
2 John Quinn
****Dame Felicity Lott (soprano);******
Jennifer Smith (soprano);*John Mark Ainsley
(tenor);*** Jean-Paul Fouchécourt
(tenor);*****Christopher Maltman (baritone);
** Stephen Varcoe (baritone) 
