The Europadisc Review
Faure - La Bonne Chanson, L’Horizon chimerique, Ballade, Mel...
Stephane Degout (baritone), Alain Planes (piano)
£12.95
Together with the bicentenaries of the births of Smetana and Bruckner, one of this year’s major musical anniversaries is the centenary of the death of French composer Gabriel Fauré (d. 4 November 1924). His complete chamber music recently appeared on an impressive six-disc set from Alpha Classics, while the complete solo piano works played by Lucas Debargue appeared on a four-disc set from Sony Classical. Until now, however, there have been no new issues devoted to a key part of Fauré’s output: his songs (perhaps unsurprising, since the excellent series of Signum discs comprising his complete ... read more
Together with the bicentenaries of the births of Smetana and Bruckner, one of this year’s major musical anniversaries is the centenary of the death of French composer Gabriel Fauré (d. 4 November 1924). His complete chamber music recently appeared on... read more
Faure - La Bonne Chanson, L’Horizon chimerique, Ballade, Mel...
Stephane Degout (baritone), Alain Planes (piano)
The Spin Doctor Europadisc's Weekly Column
‘In the black, dismal dungeon of despair’... Tackling music’s challenges 15th May 2024
15th May 2024
Our column last week on ‘The Problem of Attracting Audiences’ prompted a typically thoughtful response from one of our regular readers, which in turn drew us to reflect further on this issue. The number of performers, critics and other commentators weighing into the current debate ought to persuade all but the most sceptical of followers that the arts in general, and classical music in particular, are currently facing a moment of real crisis. And even though there are plenty of other areas of the contemporary world that are comparably embattled (some quite literally), the problems confronting the arts are no less serious: how we tackle them will determine what’s left when (if?) the world gets through its current bleak phase (economic challenges, rising authoritarianism, multiple conflicts and flashpoints, global warming…).
As we’ve remarked repeatedly in the past, a... read more