Fauré: Ballade in F sharp major for solo piano or piano & orchestra, Op. 19

“ Masques et bergamasques, which takes its title from Verlaine's sad, mysterious poem Clair delune, is a late stage work that the composer himself described as melancholy and nostalgic, but it's hardly romantic, being instead pointedly neo-classical in character and shape. The playing here under Yan Pascal Tortelier is very satisfying, as are the elegant flute solos of the exquisitely delicate Pavane, performed here without the optional chorus, and in Dolly. The rarely heard Overture to the opera Pénélope is also effectively presented here.
The biggest concertante work here, the Ballade of 1881, is Fauré's orchestration of his piano piece of the same name; it's gentle music that persuades and cajoles in a very Gallic way.
Though not an overtly virtuoso utterance, it makes its own exacting technical demands on the soloist, among them being complete control of touch and pedalling. The highly regarded Fauréan Kathryn Stott meets these with consistent success.
There's little rhetoric and no bombast in Fauré's art, but how civilised he was, and what sympathetic interpreters serve him here! The recording is warm yet also delicate.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010

“…the performance here of the surviving movement of the Concerto, with Jean-Marc Phillips-Varjabédian an eloquent and accomplished soloist, proves that the orchestration fits the music extremely well. Pianist Jérôme Ducros captures the Ballade's idiosyncratic blend of languor and virtuosity... he is a strong advocate for the Fantaisie, one of the host of underplayed works from Fauré's old age.” BBC Music Magazine, July 2009 *****

“…all these works are finely performed and recorded, making this an indispensable acquisition for all lovers of a still gravely misunderstood composer.” Gramophone Magazine, October 2009

“…his is clearly a labour of love rather than duty….[Faure] would have welcomed Pennetier’s clear-sightedness and a musical assurance that avoids all exaggeration or sentimentality…I look forward to follow-ups to this well recorded disc, though with the warning to all first-comers to Fauré: once this music gets under your skin you will be haunted for ever.” Gramophone Magazine

“A richly experienced chamber musician, Kathleen Long (1896-1968) was partnered and praised by Casals, played Ravel's 'Ondine' to the composer and gave over 60 National Gallery concerts during the Second World War.
Though her playing may initially seem too restrained, you find yourself wondering why you've never enjoyed music so much or been made so aware, however unobtrusively, of its innermost spirit. It's in Fauré's Ballade that she makes her finest impression. Indeed, it's difficult to imagine this magical work played more serenely or inwardly. Even French critics wary of foreign interpreters marvelled over this recording. Her affection is evident in every caressing bar and makes for a perfect conclusion to a delectable disc. Long was a born aristocrat of the keyboard and you'll look in vain for any overt or disfiguring drama in her lucid and stylish performance of Mozart's C minor Concerto. The recordings have come up well and the inclusion in the booklet of a 1950 Gramophone interview is an illuminating bonus.” Gramophone Classical Music Guide, 2010