Jean-Philippe Collard – Fauré: 13 Barcarolles & Ballade Op. 19 (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz]

Jean-Philippe Collard - Fauré: 13 Barcarolles & Ballade Op. 19 (2022) [Official Digital Download 24bit/88,2kHz] Download

Jean-Philippe Collard – Fauré: 13 Barcarolles & Ballade Op. 19 (2022)
FLAC (tracks) 24 bit/88,2 kHz | Time – 01:10:50 minutes | 1,09 GB | Genre: Classical
Studio Masters, Official Digital Download | Digital Booklet, Front Cover | © La Dolce Volta

A respected interpreter of Fauré, Jean-Philippe Collard has over the years recorded all of his piano works, not to mention his complete chamber music and a disc of songs, with Frederica von Stade – a part of the composer’s output that he regrets not having explored more “for all the insight it gives us into Fauré’s music, the conjunction of words and music, and the phenomenon of phrasing with the breath that singers are obliged to respect and that some pianists neglect.”

50 years after his first version of the Barcarolles and 37 years after his recording of the Ballade op.19, here is a miraculous record, by a humble servant of music at its peak of inspiration.

Not just anyone can enter the sophisticated, discreet and secretive world of Gabriel Fauré’s Barcarolles. French pianist Jean-Philippe Collard has been keeping out of the spotlight for far too long, so his return to both the stage and the recording studio (with his new label La Dolce Volta) is a welcome sight. His comeback sees him return to his first musical love: the composer Fauré, whose Barcarolles cycle he had already recorded, along with his complete piano music, chamber music and a selection of melodies with Frederica von Stade.

Over time, Collard’s sound has become simpler, lighter, with a freshness and spontaneity that only comes with musical maturity. The story behind this new recording is a funny one: one day whilst driving his car, Jean-Philippe Collard just so happened to be listening to the radio when a pianist performing the Première Barcarolle started playing. He didn’t care much for the interpretation and hated the performers constant changes in tempo… so you can imagine his dismay when the radio host announced that it was, in fact, Collard’s own recording from 1970… that was the moment he knew he had to work on this cycle again and propose a new and improved version.

This second version was recorded in 2020 in the beautiful Arsenal Concert Hall, which is known for its remarkable acoustics. Exactly fifty years after his first recording, Jean-Philippe Collard’s vision for the solo piano version of the Barcarolles and Ballad has now been perfected. It’s been stripped back to basics and exudes the kind of naturalness that, paradoxically, could only ever have been attained through thorough analysis of the written music, its constant modulations and skilful superimposition of melody. Jean-Phillipe Collard has evidently gone through it all with a fine-toothed comb and, consequently, he’s given the world a chance to listen to the very best of what he has to offer. – François Hudry

Tracklist:

1-01. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 1 in A Minor, Op. 26 (04:15)
1-02. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 2 in G Major, Op. 41 (06:19)
1-03. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 3 in G-Flat Major, Op. 42 (07:23)
1-04. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 4 in A-Flat Major, Op. 44 (03:29)
1-05. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 66 (06:08)
1-06. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70 (03:23)
1-07. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 7 in D Minor, Op. 90 (03:22)
1-08. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 8 in D-Flat Major, Op. 96 (03:29)
1-09. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 9 in A Minor, Op. 101 (04:21)
1-10. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 10 in A Minor, Op. 104 No. 2 (02:57)
1-11. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 11 in G Minor, Op. 105 (04:22)
1-12. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No. 12 in E-Flat Major, Op. 106 bis (03:03)
1-13. Jean-Philippe Collard – Barcarolle No.13 in C Major, Op. 116 (03:33)
1-14. Jean-Philippe Collard – Ballade in F-Sharp Major, Op. 19 (14:40)

Download:

Related Posts

%d bloggers like this: