Album: Fauré, Le Jardin Clos/La Chanson d'Eve, (Zig Zag)

There are more opulent performances of Fauré but Karine Deshayes' clear, girlish tones lend this recital of the late song cycles wistful intimacy.

Premiered in January 1915, at the height of international concern for occupied Belgium, Fauré's serene settings of Van Lerberghe's verse seem an act of mourning for the 19th century. La chanson d'Eve, by contrast, looks back to the heroic declamations of Berlioz. Deshayes' excellent diction is matched in the sensitive colours and delicate phrasing of Hélène Lucas's accompaniment.