This programme, built around the two great masterworks that are the piano trios of Fauré and Ravel, is a fascinating opportunity to consider the dynamic of The Ties between Pupil & Teacher. Ravel studied with Fauré, a much sought after teacher of composition at the Paris Conservatoire at the turn of the 19th Century; Fauré’s other students at the time included Charles Koechlin, George Enescu and Nadia Boulanger – this last destined herself to become one of the great teachers of composition in the 20th Century.

Eventually in 1905 Fauré became the head of the Paris Conservatoire in the wake of a scandal involving Europe’s most prestigious musical prize, the Prix de Rome. The integrity of the jury, headed by Théodore Dubois, was called into question, particularly over their rejection of a work by Ravel. Fauré was called on to fill the vacuum that was left when, as a direct result of all the various sordid intrigues, Dubois took early retirement as the Head of the Conservatoire. If these instances of fractured loyalty and covert pedagogical in-fighting between teachers and pupils read like an episode from current day British politics, hear then how miraculously this music transcends all such petty behaviours…

Richard Sisson (Programme Planner)