The Nocturnes and Barcarolles demonstrate Faur�'s art at its most personal, progressing from early lyricism to the elusive, rarefied style of the later works. Marc-Andr� Hamelin's performances are predictably fine, and combine exceptional subtlety with magisterial keyboard authority.
CRITICAL ACCLAIM:
GRAMOPHONE EDITOR'S CHOICE, OCTOBER 2023
To whichever composer Marc-Andre Hamelin turns his (amazing) hand(s), he reinvents himself, chameleon-like, to convince you that he is the authoritative voice of that composer [�]. This is refined pianism of a high order � Gramophone
Hamelin's performances are an arresting and freely expressive antidote to a more restricted French tradition. [�] Even in the early Barcarolles and Nocturnes, their insinuating, erotic contours and charm are given with an unapologetic weight and conviction. � International Piano
Hamelin's superb technique and no doubt many hours of careful thought pay dividends, magisterially impressing on us the power and beauty of this music, which traces a path that no composer after Faur� chose, or perhaps dared, to tread. � BBC Music Magazine (Performance 5 STARS, Recording 5 STARS)
Hearing Hamelin play Faur� is like observing the workings of a luxury-brand wristwatch with its many interdependent and intricately connected parts working in perfect harmony to produce the movement you see on the clockface. � Gramophone
Playing with delectation and passion, as required, Marc-Andr� Hamelin is a super-league guide through this fascinating repertoire that has so much to yield. [�] recommended unreservedly. � Colin Anderson
Hamelin's survey of Faure's complete Barcarolles and Nocturnes allows us to hear and investigate these fascinating works in the most impressive pianism imaginable. � Gramophone Recordings of the Year / Editor's Choice October 2023
Mark-Andr� Hamelin's Nocturnes and Barcarolles on Hyperion speaks to the ultra-refined, Gallic Faur�, the dreamy Faur� effortlessly spinning Chopinesque melodies and the muscular late-Romantic Faur�. [�]. Definitely worth listening to as an album, not just isolated tracks. � The Arts Desk
CLAUDE DEBUSSY - Image & Preludes II (CDA67920)
The poetic sheen and finish of all these performances are things to marvel at, leaving me to long for more Debussy, to say nothing of Faure and Ravel, from an artist supremely attuned to the French repertoire
- Gramophone Magazine
