Starter Packs

Complete your collection with these curated titles, grouped at a special discount.

Shop Now
Marguerite Long, Vol. 1 - Fauré, d'Indy
APR

Marguerite Long, Vol. 1 - Fauré, d'Indy

$21.99 Only 1 left

Details

Composer
Vincent d'Indy, Gabriel Faure
Artist
Marguerite Long, Ninon Vallin, Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux, Pierre Fournier, Phili
Format
CD
Label
APR
Released
Mar 18, 2022
Catalog #
APR6038
UPC
5024709160389

About

Long’s 1940 recording with Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux and Pierre Fournier is matchless in terms of ardor and urgency, one of the major chamber music recordings of the era.

Undoubtedly the foremost French female pianist of the 20th century, Marguerite Long (1874–1966) prided herself on her personal friendships with some of the foremost composers of her day – Debussy, Fauré and Ravel. She championed their works, premiering, amongst other things, Ravel’s G major piano concerto, and was to write books on the interpretation of each of them. This addition to our continuing French Piano School series is the first of two APR volumes, together containing her complete recordings of French repertoire, and of honorary Frenchman, Chopin.

REVIEW:

French music scholar Roger Nichols does the honors in the booklet essay, with laudable impartiality, for the first volume in APR’s ‘The French Piano School’ series focusing on the legendary pianist and teacher Maguerite Long. This collection is mostly devoted to music by Gabriel Fauré, including the exquisite Nocturne No 6 in D flat major, of which Long herself writes: ‘[Fauré] slides imperceptibly from one key to another through nuances of colour that an impressionist painter would envy.’

Long played the Sixth Barcarolle to Fauré himself, and two recordings of the piece are included as part of APR’s program, the earliest and gentler of the two from 1937, the more emphatic version dating from 20 years later. Likewise in the case of two versions of the Second Impromptu, this time from 1933 and 1957 again, though miraculously there’s very little to choose between them. Two versions of the Ballade in its orchestrated version vary principally in the way they’re recorded, in a relatively dry acoustic for the 1930 recording (under Philippe Gaubert), then with greater warmth 20 years later, where between them André Cluytens and Long stretch the timing by roughly a minute. Still, the crystalline tone of the earlier version holds a special appeal.

Then there are the two piano quartets, Op 15 in C minor with the Pasquier Trio, recorded in 1956, nimble and sensitive, though my own preference would be for the sweeter, edgier version by Robert Casadesus and members of the Calvet Quartet in 1935 (currently out on Scribendum). Turn then to the more tragic Op 45 in G minor, and Long’s 1940 recording with Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux and Pierre Fournier is matchless in terms of ardor and urgency, one of the major chamber music recordings of the era.

Also included is Vincent d’Indy’s colorful Symphonie sur un chant montagnard français (Symphonie cévenole), brilliantly played by Long and expertly conducted by Paul Paray in 1934 – fine sounding, too, given its age. A truly excellent release, superbly transferred.

-- Gramophone

Tracklist 22 tracks

  1. Disc 1
  2. 1 Ballade in F-Sharp Major, Op. 19 (version for piano and orchestra) 13:21
    Track
    1
    Title
    Ballade in F-Sharp Major, Op. 19 (version for piano and orchestra)
    Duration
    13:21
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
    Conductor
    Philippe Gaubert
  3. 2 Barcarolle No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70 03:13
    Track
    2
    Title
    Barcarolle No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70
    Duration
    03:13
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  4. 3 Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 31 03:07
    Track
    3
    Title
    Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 31
    Duration
    03:07
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  5. 4 Impromptu No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 102 01:59
    Track
    4
    Title
    Impromptu No. 5 in F-Sharp Minor, Op. 102
    Duration
    01:59
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  6. 5 Nocturne No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 36 04:38
    Track
    5
    Title
    Nocturne No. 4 in E-Flat Major, Op. 36
    Duration
    04:38
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  7. 6 Nocturne No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 63 08:12
    Track
    6
    Title
    Nocturne No. 6 in D-Flat Major, Op. 63
    Duration
    08:12
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  8. 7 Barcarolle No. 2 in G Major, Op. 41 06:04
    Track
    7
    Title
    Barcarolle No. 2 in G Major, Op. 41
    Duration
    06:04
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  9. 8 Barcarolle No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70 03:35
    Track
    8
    Title
    Barcarolle No. 6 in E-Flat Major, Op. 70
    Duration
    03:35
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  10. 9 Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 31 03:27
    Track
    9
    Title
    Impromptu No. 2 in F Minor, Op. 31
    Duration
    03:27
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
  11. 10 Les berceaux, Op. 23, No. 1 02:54
    Track
    10
    Title
    Les berceaux, Op. 23, No. 1
    Duration
    02:54
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Ninon Vallin, Marguerite Long
  12. 11 I. Assez lent - Modérément animé 10:27
    Track
    11
    Title
    I. Assez lent - Modérément animé
    Duration
    10:27
    Composer
    Vincent d'Indy
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    Orchestre Colonne
    Conductor
    Paul Paray
  13. 12 II. Assez modéré, mais sans lenteur 05:55
    Track
    12
    Title
    II. Assez modéré, mais sans lenteur
    Duration
    05:55
    Composer
    Vincent d'Indy
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    Orchestre Colonne
    Conductor
    Paul Paray
  14. 13 III. Animé 07:29
    Track
    13
    Title
    III. Animé
    Duration
    07:29
    Composer
    Vincent d'Indy
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    Orchestre Colonne
    Conductor
    Paul Paray
  15. Disc 2
  16. 1 I. Allegro molto moderato 10:06
    Track
    1
    Title
    I. Allegro molto moderato
    Duration
    10:06
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    The Pasquier Trio
  17. 2 II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo 05:36
    Track
    2
    Title
    II. Scherzo: Allegro vivo
    Duration
    05:36
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    The Pasquier Trio
  18. 3 III. Adagio 07:41
    Track
    3
    Title
    III. Adagio
    Duration
    07:41
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    The Pasquier Trio
  19. 4 IV. Allegro molto 08:37
    Track
    4
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    08:37
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    The Pasquier Trio
  20. 5 I. Allegro molto moderato 12:23
    Track
    5
    Title
    I. Allegro molto moderato
    Duration
    12:23
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux, Pierre Fournier, Marguerite Long
  21. 6 II. Allegro molto 03:17
    Track
    6
    Title
    II. Allegro molto
    Duration
    03:17
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux, Pierre Fournier, Marguerite Long
  22. 7 III. Adagio non troppo 09:26
    Track
    7
    Title
    III. Adagio non troppo
    Duration
    09:26
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux, Pierre Fournier, Marguerite Long
  23. 8 IV. Allegro molto 08:54
    Track
    8
    Title
    IV. Allegro molto
    Duration
    08:54
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Jacques Thibaud, Maurice Vieux, Pierre Fournier, Marguerite Long
  24. 9 Ballade in F-Sharp Major, Op. 19 (version for piano and orchestra) 14:27
    Track
    9
    Title
    Ballade in F-Sharp Major, Op. 19 (version for piano and orchestra)
    Duration
    14:27
    Composer
    Gabriel Fauré
    Performer
    Marguerite Long
    Ensemble
    Orchestre de la Société des Concerts du Conservatoire
    Conductor
    André Cluytens