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Fauré brings reform and consternation to France’s leading music school. With Donald Macleod.

Gabriel Fauré’s story begins during the second half of the 19th century, when the musical world was dominated by the heavily romantic voices of composers like Wagner, Brahms and Liszt. Fauré became a key protagonist in a musical revolution that opened audiences’ ears to new modes of expression - modern, refined and utterly French. As a composer, and as a teacher at the Paris Conservatoire, he left a huge legacy on the music of the 20th century. This week Donald Macleod explores some of the many turning points in Fauré’s career, and how those events affected his life and his art.

The year 1905 began a period of around 15 years when Gabriel Fauré held the post of Director of the Paris Conservatoire. He launched a series of significant reforms to eliminate the bureaucracy, broaden the repertoire studied, and appointed more progressive musicians to the staff including Debussy and Dukas. These changes were not received well by all the staff, and Fauré earned himself the name of Robespierre. With his attention firmly on his role as director, this left little time for composing, although it was a period he at last composed an opera, Pénélope, which was hailed by the Parisian critics as a masterpiece.

Cantique de Jean Racine, Op 11
City of Birmingham Symphony Chorus
´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Le Chanson d’Ève, Op 96 No’s 1-5
Dawn Upshaw, soprano
Gilbert Kalish, piano

Pénélope (Prelude)
´óÏó´«Ã½ Philharmonic Orchestra
Yan Pascal Tortelier, conductor

Violin Sonata No 2 in E minor, Op 108 (Andante)
Pierre Amoyal, violin
Anne Queffélec, piano

Masques et bergamasques, Op 112
Radio Symphony Orchestra Vienna
Bertrand de Billy, conductor

Produced by Luke Whitlock for ´óÏó´«Ã½ Wales