This second instalment in our exciting new series encompassing all Fauré’s songs takes its title from the opening line of Clair de lune—‘Votre âme est un paysage choisi’ (‘Your soul is a chosen landscape’)—which is regarded by many as representing the pinnacle of Fauré’s considerable achievement in the genre. Here we have songs reflecting the various seasons of the year, atmospheric landscapes from Tuscany to Versailles, and the various mystical symbols of Van Lerberghe’s Le jardin clos.

As with volume one, Graham Johnson has employed a veritable panoply of artists—the very finest interpreters of French song that could be found. Generous commentaries are provided for each song along with the original poems and English translations.