Fauré's nocturnes follow from
Chopin's nocturnes, as Field's precede them, and the
Fauré ones are heard just about as infrequently as the Field as well, overshadowed as they all are by
Chopin. David Jalbert will help spread the good word about the
Fauré nocturnes with this beautiful performance. As with the other composers' works,
Fauré's nocturnes have an amount of smoothness and dreaminess to them. Jalbert pays careful attention to both. He is a pianist with very clean technique. Every note in every run is clear, yet still connected, with an even, rounded tone. Every melodic line is lucid and gently supported by a moving accompaniment, even in Nos. 12 and 13, which have less lyrical themes. What comes through in his performance more than technique is the shaping of each nocturne. He doesn't make each a billowy, moonlit cloud, although there is a certain amount of that written into the nocturnes, but he does make sure each has an organically flowing order, so that the more dramatic sections are not theatrically done, but are in perfect proportion to the rest of the piece. As the nocturnes become more passionate, beginning with No. 6, Jalbert makes them sincerely felt emotional journeys that are easy to listen to again and again. They are introspective, but not so intimate that the listener is intruding into Jalbert's personal space. The recording's sound is also excellent, picking up the right amount of resonance and closeness without being cloying. Jalbert makes
Fauré's nocturnes gems of the form that are to be well admired and cherished.