GABRIEL FAURÉ : The Complete Songs, Vol. 3 : Chanson d'amour : Love song (2005) FLAC (image+.cue), lossless

Volume 3 of Hyperion's four-volume set of the complete songs of Gabriel Fauré is dedicated to his love songs -- unsurprisingly, a subject near and dear to the hearts of fin de siècle composers, and one that seems especially effective in Fauré's sweetly perfumed style. His chansons d'amour are tasteful, gently impassioned settings of poems by Romantic and Symbolist writers, the best known being Victor Hugo, Charles Baudelaire, and Paul Verlaine; though others of less renown received music of equal artistry, and Fauré's consistent excellence makes even modest versifiers seem like poets of genius. The performances by sopranos Felicity Lott and Jennifer Smith, tenors John Mark Ainsley and Jean-Paul Fouchécourt, and baritones Christopher Maltman and Stephen Varcoe lend great variety to this installment, and keep the program lively; since its amorous content could easily slide into monotony with only one singer, a mix of interpretations is the right way to go. Their accompanists, Graham Johnson and Ronan O'Hora, also contribute to the highly varied textures and moods of this album, though in rather understated playing that never upstages the singers. Hyperion's sound quality is pleasant overall, though a little variable due to the different engineers, venues, and acoustics. by Blair Sanderson