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19世紀進入尾聲之時，長期以來幾乎被歌劇所主導的法國，開始掀起一股室內樂的復興運動。比起因應大眾需求創作，這股室內樂風潮都是作曲家們自動自發的參與推動，1871年由聖桑所主導創立的國民音樂協會（Société Nationale de Musique）就是一例，該協會的旨在提供一個讓作曲家能夠發表作品的平台媒介。最早響應聖桑提議的其中一人就是他的學生佛瑞，1876年他完成了A大調小提琴奏鳴曲，同時將之編為第13號作品，這也是他正式創作清單裡面第一首器樂作品。1877年在該協會舉辦的一系列音樂會的其中一場首演，由於外界給予極高評價，深受鼓舞的佛瑞得以獲得持續創作室內樂的動力。
許多年輕一輩的作曲家，透過該協會的媒合成功打開自己的職業生涯，包含德布西以及後來的拉威爾皆是如此。本輯克里斯蒂安．史瓦爾瓦和羅蘭．潘提納兩位瑞典音樂家特地精選上述三位法國作曲家的作品，由佛瑞和拉威爾兩人前後相差將近半世紀完成的奏鳴曲包辦專輯頭尾兩曲，中間穿插年紀介於兩人之間的德布西。一方面也是希望藉由這樣的安排，讓聽眾感受到法國音樂在這段期間內是如何受到外來新型音樂的影響。
從拉威爾將《G大調奏鳴曲》第二樂章取名為「藍調」，不僅看得出他對非美音樂（Afro-American music）和爵士樂興趣盎然，也展現他如何將這些外來影響納為己用，並且以絕佳的調和技巧發展出獨樹一格的專屬特色。中間收錄的幾首小品，包含拉威爾充滿西班牙風味的《哈巴奈拉式小品》和另一首《搖籃曲》（向他的老師佛瑞致敬）。
此外，兩人也挑選了德布西1891年時創作的藝術歌曲《美麗的夜晚》，1933年海飛茲將此曲改編為小提琴與鋼琴版，作為音樂會安可曲之用。另一首則是德布西改編自己鋼琴作品《前奏曲》的「黑人戲劇」，坊間有時將之翻成吟遊詩人，其實是不正確的。這裡指的是20世紀初，由白人演員將自己塗黑刻意模仿黑人調侃或是藉由操作刻板印象讓人發笑的表演方式。以現在的眼光看來，這是相當明顯而且挺嚴重的種族歧視，但是當年黑人平權運動尚未開展，這樣的演出在歐美其實挺常見。德布西的《前奏曲》出版之後，立刻吸引許多人將裡面的特定曲目拿來改編，但是只有這首《黑人戲劇》是由德布西本人操刀，風格戲謔詼諧。
史瓦爾瓦和潘提納決定選用佛瑞早期的藝術歌曲，同時也是最具知名度的作品《夢醒時分》作為專輯名稱，這點正好也頗能突顯出印象派樂風的特色。
Towards the end of the 19th century, France saw a renaissance for chamber music after a long period largely dominated by opera. Rather than popular demand it was the composers themselves who propelled this development, for instance through the 'Societe nationale de musique', founded in 1871 by Saint-Saëns with the aim to provide a platform for composers to have their works performed. An early response to Saint-Saëns' initiative came from a former student, Gabriel Faure, who in 1876 completed his Violin Sonata in A major and gave it the opus number 13, making it the first instrumental work in his official work list. Premiered at one of the society's concerts in 1877, the sonata was a resounding success and gave Faure the confidence to continue to write chamber music. In a similar way, the society became a stepping-stone in the careers of many younger composers, including Claude Debussy and after him Maurice Ravel. Selecting works by these three French composers, the Swedish team of Christian Svarfvar and Roland Pontinen have put together a recital framed by Faure's sonata and that by Ravel, composed some 50 years later and here serving as a reminder of the new influences that reached France in the meantime. With its celebrated second movement, entitled 'Blues', the Sonata in G major testifies to Ravel's interest in Afro-American music and jazz – but also to his ability to incorporate foreign influences into his own, unmistakeable style. Between these, we hear a handful of shorter pieces, including Ravel's Spanish-perfumed Piece en forme de habanera and his Berceuse, a tribute to his old teacher Faure. Svarfvar and Pontinen also perform Debussy's arrangement of his own piano prelude Minstrels, another French response to the popular music coming from the U.S.A., but they have chosen to name their disc after what probably remains the most popular piece by Faure, his early song Apres un reve.
Gabriel Faure (1845–1924)
1–4) Sonata No.1 in A major for violin and piano, Op. 13 26'56
5 ) Apres un reve, Op.7 No. 1 2'52
arranged by Pablo Casals
6 ) Morceau de lecture in A major (1903) 1'33
Claude Debussy (1862–1918)
7 ) Minstrels from Preludes : Premier livre, L. 125/12 2'22
8 ) Beau soir, L. 84 (1891) 2'26
transcribed by Jascha Heifetz
Maurice Ravel (1875–1937)
9 ) Piece en forme de habanera (1907) 3'00
arranged by Georges Catherine
10 ) Berceuse sur le nom de Gabriel Faure (1922) 2'25
11–13) Sonata in G major for violin and piano (1923–27) 18'15
TT: 61'08
Christian Svarfvar violin
Roland Pontinen piano |
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