Fauré: Barcarolle No. 8 in D flat major Op. 96

Giulio Biddau is a young Sardinian pianist who has studied with Aldo Ciccolini, who suggested that he record the complete Barcarolles by Gabriel Fauré. Biddau adds to that the little-recorded, ‘Theme and Variations’. Winner of Spedidam in Aix-en-Provence, Giulio appears regularly on major European stages. This is the first hard evidence of his exceptional qualities, a great pianist of tomorrow.

Following a critically acclaimed recording of Fauré’s Complete Nocturnes (AV2133), Charles Owen surveys the composer’s Complete Barcarolles, uniquely coupled with Trois Romances sans paroles.

Pianist Charles Owens follows a critically acclaimed release of Fauré’s popular Nocturnes (AV2133) with a relative rarity – a complete survey of the composer’s Barcarolles uniquely coupled with Trois Romances sans paroles, Fauré’s first published works for piano. The Barcarolles straddle the turn of the 20th century and span a four-decade period, from 1880 – 1921. The works’ dedicatees were a veritable roll call of Parisian musical elite. Though written and published separately, they hang together well through their combination of mystery, humanity and inner poetry. Yet it is a rare pianist who plays all thirteen, a bill that Charles Owen lives up to brilliantly.

Like Chopin’s Barcarolles, Fauré’s work shows equal measures of limpidity and gravity, brightness and great depth. Delphine Bardin started playing the piano at the age of five and went on to study piano as a graduate at the Paris Conservatory under Pierre-Laurent Aimard, and chamber music under Christian Ivaldi. In 1997 she won the Clara Haskil prize, one of the most prestigious piano competitions in the world.

Numerous solo engagements followed including invitations from Birmingham, Carnegie Hall, the Concertgebouw, the Wigmore Hall and the Palais des Beaux-Arts in Brussels. Since then, Delphine Bardin has been travelling the world both as a chamber musician and soloist. She has also formed two duos: one with the cellist Ophélie Gaillard and another with Sarah Louvion, flute soloist with the Frankfurt Opera. She also regularly plays quintet concert programmes with the Benaïm Quartet.

2CDs for price of 1

This exquisite collection benefits from Roy Howat’s dedicated scholarship and performance of French music and with duo partner Emily Kilpatrick illuminates Fauré’s piano music, beautifully portraying the elegance and lyricism that was the Belle Epoque. Includes three world premieres.