‘Fauré? Ah, yes, I love the Requiem. And there’s that lovely Pavane too …” This is the typical reply to the question: “Do you like the music of Gabriel Fauré?” But it’s about as satisfactory a response as would be, to a similar question about Beethoven: “Oh yes! There’s that great symphony – the one that goes da-da-da DAA.”
Glorious though Fauré’s Requiem and Pavane are (along with his other best-known works, such as the first violin sonata and first piano quartet), there are whole other worlds to his music that deserve to be far better known. Luckily, 2024 marks the centenary of Fauré’s death, which gives us Fauréans a wonderful opportunity to share with audiences his lesser-known masterpieces.
