Fauré: Orchestral Works

Gabriel Fauré is best known for his Requiem and Pavane, but these are not typical of an output that
focused largely on solo piano pieces, songs and chamber music, many of which were orchestrated by
others. His Violin Concerto was never completed but the surviving first movement reveals Fauré's
characteristic playfulness with rhythm and harmony. The short prelude to Pénélope, Fauré's only
opera, conveys the sombre and passionate moods of its heroine, heard here alongside favourites such as
the poignant Élégie, the beloved Dolly and, famous among flautists, the distinguished Fantaisie.