Longtime friend of the blog Centuri recently mentioned a notable series of recordings from the ORTF (the
Office de Radiodiffusion-Télévision Française), made some years ago. I have several of these LPs, so I decided to transfer this old favorite of mine, which came out in Barclay's Inédits ORTF series in 1971. The LP introduced me to several of Gabriel Fauré's less often heard orchestral works. It also includes one of his most famous compositions, the
Pavane, here presented in the seldom-performed choral version.
The ORTF maintained any number of ensembles, including the Orchestre National, Orchestre Philharmonique, Orchestre Lyrique and the Orchestre de Chambre. This LP comes from the Orchestre de Chambre, which has not recorded extensively, but its role has been important, per Centuri. All
its programs included premieres or unknown works, in particular
under its principal conductor, André Girard, Centuri's first
conducting teacher.
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| Antonio de Almeida |
Leading the ensemble here is the French conductor Antonio de Almeida (1928-97), who himself was known for his devotion to unusual repertoire. For this LP he programmed incidental music for the play
Caligula, written by Alexandre Dumas fils, here recorded for the first time complete. Also included is Fauré's music for
Shylock, which includes two songs performed by the distinguished tenor Michel Sénéchal (1927-98). Finally, de Almeida leads the first recording of the choral
Madrigal to a text by Armand Silvestre.
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| Michel Sénéchal |
I find these works irresistible. Since the record came out 50 years ago, there have been a few integral recordings of Fauré's orchestral works but none have surpassed these in my affections. The composer has long been known more for his songs, chamber music and the oft-recorded Requiem, but his compositions for orchestra are very much worth your while.
The performances and sound are good, although the chamber orchestra does not have the depth of string tone that would be ideal for some of the music. The download includes a 1976 interview with de Almeida from
Stereo Review.
