Requiem Œuvres sacrées

Description

There is a whole tradition of Fauré's Requiem by the choirs of Albion that showcase their boys, often delivering "Pie Jesu" that could make stones weep, but not this time. David Hil, while offering a full album of religious works by the composer of Pénélope, records it with a mixed choir - the "Pie Jesu" sung by a soprano - and more modest forces. The chamber version of the Requiem is conducted by the maestro himself (violin, cello, harp, and organ), with the Low Mass and other pieces in their most bare attire, including the sublime Cantique de Jean Racine that closes the album. A soothing gentleness cradles everything throughout, undoing what the Latin may have of ancient in sound, of declamatory in the word, drowning it all in an absolutely hedonistic interpretation that, while it dazzles with the depth of its shades, forgets too much the power of the word. But if you like your Fauré pious and serene, this album will enchant you, even in the two organ pieces played in the same slightly gray light by Robert Bennesh (Discophilia - Artalinna.com). (Jean-Charles Hoffelé)