Foray into Fauré's Nocturnes

Gerhard Joubert (piano) performs all 13 Nocturnes by Gabriel Fauré in a single concert

Commemorating Gabriel Fauré's 180 anniversary (he was born on 12 May 1845), Gerhard Joubert finally realizes a project close to his heart that he has been preparing for a long time: showcasing Fauré's complete Nocturnes in a single performance.

John Field is generally credited for composing the first Nocturnes, ternary-form night pieces, characterized by ornate melodies with relatively simple harmonizations. Encapsulating an explicit and uncluttered focus on Romantic expression, the approach immediately elicited a broad following, establishing the Nocturne as a distinct genre of piano music to which Chopin and Fauré have contributed the most substantial works.

In Fauré's case the Nocturnes are not only highly representative of his individual musical style but – spanning a production time of almost 50 years – also document and demonstrate the composer's continuous quest to develop and refine his craft.

This concert program therefore offers a rare twofold opportunity: that of hearing the complete set of Nocturnes and to follow a composer's development through his ongoing re-evaluations of the expressive potential of a single musical genre.