An outstanding edition of a Master of the French Music
Jose Rocha M. Pontes | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 12/23/2008
(5 out of 5 stars)
"César Franck and Gabriel Fauré produced, perheaps, the most solid foundation of the refined French music of the belle époque. Though having devoted most of his life to organ and sacred music, César Franck wrote three masterpieces of the chamber music literature at the end of his life, the sonata for piano and violin, a piano quintet and a string quartet, all included in this 2CD set. Excellent renditions of Fauré's chamber music are available, but a good compilation of Franck's chamber works surprisingly lack. So is this set wellcome. Pascal Rogé and the Ysaÿe String Quartet deliver a rigorous and flawless interpretation these works deserve. In my opinion, it is a valuable addition to any collection of chamber music and I will not be surprised if it becomes a standard to which existing and future recordings will be compared. A very well produced booklet comes with the set and justifies the somewhat high price. Franck: Complete Organ WorksFauré: Piano QuartetsFauré: Piano QuintetsFaure: String Quartet in G MinorFauré: Violin SonatasFaure, Debussy & Ravel Piano Trios (Stereo Hybrid SACD)"