Fauré: Masques et Bergamasques, Op. 112

Description

In the style of commedia dell'arteIn 1918 Gabriel Fauré, then 73 years old, received a commission from Prince Albert I of Monaco to write stage music invoking the atmosphere of the "commedia dell'arte".

The four-movement orchestral suite, Op. 112, consisting of "Ouverture", "Menuet", "Gavotte" and "Pastorale", combines previously unpublished parts of this stage music. The "Pastorale" of 1919 was Fauré's last composition for orchestra, the "Ouverture" originated in a piece of 1864 for piano duet and the original version of the "Gavotte" was written for piano as early as 1869. The, Op. 112 orchestral suite demonstrates how the composer, now older and more experienced, reworked and improved his earlier music.