Fauré: Complete Songs

Fauré wrote over 100 songs. They stretch across his long creative life, encompassing a wide range of emotions, poets and styles. And until now, complete recordings have been shared out among several singers, male and female. Here, there’s just the one: the light, high tenor of Cyrille Dubois, who sings them with exquisite elegance. The voice is pure, clear, very French (he rolls his “r”s), and somehow right for everything in these four mesmerising hours of music, from the smiling charm of “Notre amour” to the antique reserve of the cycle La bonne chanson. Partnered lovingly by pianist Tristan Raës, it’s effortless, unforced, with an engaging sense of intimate exposure. This is salon repertoire designed for close-up hearing, and the artists here could be in touching distance. If they were, you’d want to hug them.