Gabriel Piers Learn 10

Nearly a full decade after the release of Us, Peter Gabriel finally returned with new music in the summer of 2002 – but it wasn't a new studio album, it was the soundtrack to Phillip Noyce's return to independent Australian cinema, Rabbit-Proof Fence…

This generously programmed disc provides excellent value and outstanding performances of both major and lesser-known masterpieces of French choral music. The Fauré Requiem has been recorded many times, and several excellent versions of the original orchestration are available on disc. This one is among them, owing to John Eliot Gardiner's experience and perfectionist mastery of details overlooked by less-successful choral conductors. The real bonus here is the inclusion of the popular but very difficult Debussy and Ravel chansons, and the rarely heard but eminently worthy little part songs by Saint-Saëns. These pieces are a lesson in how to achieve maximum effect with the simplest materials.

Marina Viotti’s first solo recital, ‘Porque existe otro querer’ (Because there’s another lover), combines French and Hispanic romances in an exploration of the chromatic kaleidoscope of love’s feelings.