Mar 02 2023 to Mar 02 2023 5:30 p.m.

EVENT HAS ENDED

Where

Bangalore International Centre

7 4th Main Rd, Stage 2, Domlur 560071

Event Description

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) Thème et Variations Op. 7 Impromptu No. 3 Op. 34 Requiem Op. 48 The subtlety of Fauré’s music, and his concentration on the small-scale, led many to criticize him for lacking depth, a judgment based on the mistaken premise that the bigger and bolder a composer’s music, the more worthwhile it must be. Fauré deliberately avoided the grander kind of orchestral music that could easily have brought him fame and fortune. He preferred instead to embrace an elegant and subtle musical language that has won him increasing numbers of admirers, particularly as a composer of songs, a genre in which he is now recognized as a master. The Requiem was composed in 1888, when Fauré was in his forties, quite probably in response to the recent death of his father. Shortly after its first performance, Fauré’s mother also died, giving the work an added poignancy.

In 1900, under some pressure from his publishers, he reluctantly agreed to the release of a revised version containing additional instrumental parts designed to broaden the work’s appeal. Nowadays it is such a firm favourite that it comes as a surprise to learn that it did not gain widespread popularity until the nineteen fifties. Of the many settings of the Requiem, this is probably one of the most widely loved. In comparison with the large-scale masterpieces of Verdi, Brahms and Berlioz, Fauré’s setting seems gentle and unassuming, yet it is this very quality of understatement which contributes so eloquently to the work’s universal appeal. Whether the Requiem is performed in one of its orchestral versions or simply with organ or piano accompaniment, it is impossible not to be moved by the ethereal beauty of this humble masterpiece.

Gabriel Fauré (1845-1924) was a French composer, organist, pianist, and teacher. He was one of the foremost French composers of his generation, and his musical style influenced many 20th-century composers. Among his best-known works are his Pavane, Requiem, nocturnes for piano and the songs Après un Rêve and Clair de Lune. Although his best-known and most accessible compositions are generally his earlier ones, Fauré composed many of his most highly regarded works in his later years, in a harmonically and melodically much more complex style. The concert will include Fauré’s compositions for piano, Thème et Variations Op. 7 and Impromptu No. 3 Op. 34, performed by Bengt Forsberg.