Gramophone Magazine
October 2023
Editor's Choice

Marc-André Hamelin (piano)

Fauré: Nocturne No. 1 in E flat minor, Op. 33 No. 1
Fauré: Nocturne No. 2 in B major, Op. 33 No. 2
Fauré: Nocturne No. 3 in A flat major, Op. 33 No. 3
Fauré: Nocturne No. 4 in E flat major Op. 36
Fauré: Nocturne No. 5 in B flat major, Op. 37
Fauré: Nocturne No. 6 in D flat major, Op. 63
Fauré: Nocturne No. 7 in C sharp minor, Op. 74
Fauré: Nocturne No. 8 in D flat major, Op. 84 No. 8
Fauré: Nocturne No. 9 in B minor, Op. 97
Fauré: Nocturne No. 10 in E minor, Op. 99
Fauré: Nocturne No. 11 in F sharp minor, Op. 104 No. 1
Fauré: Nocturne No. 12 in E minor, Op. 107
Fauré: Nocturne No. 13 in B minor, Op. 119
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 1 in A minor, Op. 26
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 2 in G major Op. 41
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 3 in G flat major Op. 42
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 4 in A flat major Op. 44
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 5 in F sharp minor Op. 66
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 6 in E flat major Op. 70
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 7 in D minor Op. 90
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 8 in D flat major Op. 96
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 9 in A minor Op. 101
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 10 in A minor Op. 104 No. 2
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 11 in G minor Op. 105
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 12 in E flat major Op. 106
Fauré: Barcarolle No. 13 in C major Op. 116
Fauré: Dolly Suite, Op. 56

The Nocturnes and Barcarolles demonstrate Faure's art at its most personal, progressing from early lyricism to the elusive, rarefied style of the later works. Marc-André Hamelin's performances are predictably fine, and combine exceptional subtlety with magisterial keyboard authority.

"Hearing Hamelin play Fauré is like observing the workings of a luxury-brand wristwatch with its many interdependent and intricately connected parts working in perfect harmony to produce the movement you see on the clockface." - Gramophone Magazine, October 2023.