This disc is part of a series of Faur�'s complete piano music and contains two works better known in orchestral form with some less well known originals. The four pieces from Pell�as et M�lisande in their original version are some of the most subtle of the composer's music written for the stage. The opening Pr�lude sets the scene and introduces themes representing the naivety of the heroine and the passion she is unable to escape. This is followed by a Fileuse, the introduction to Act 3 where M�lisande is at her spinning wheel. The Sicilienne, introduction to the fountain scene of Act 2, is the one part of the suite Faur� composed some years earlier and scored himself for sextet. Finally, La mort de M�lisande (The Death of M�lisande) is an intense parallel to the heroine's music in the Pr�lude, portraying her Act 5 death scene. The Pavane was orchestrated at a later date and the original version for piano of this well-known piece shows that the simple archaic melody should be played at a faster speed than is the case with the orchestral or choral versions. The four Valses-caprices are not a cycle. The two earlier pieces were written in the early 1880s, the later pair a decade later. Although Saint-Sa�ns enjoyed Opp. 30 and 38. Their indebtedness to Chopin and their attempt at capriciousness does not suit Faur�'s introverted nature. The later pieces are more successful and. #despite retaining traces of the virtuoso style, are more introspective, nearer to the true nature of the composer. The Mazurka hints again at a tribute to Chopin, but shows no debts to Polish folk rhythms. Similar in style to the Valses Caprices, it has a haunting central slow section.