21 EVA ZAVARO, CLÉMENT LEFEBVRE Does the atmosphere relax in the Andante that follows? Clément Lefebvre: In this movement, you end up not knowing where the musical flow starts and where it ends; the phrases are diluted. Each harmony is a surprise and opens up the full range of perspectives for those that will follow. This music is never conclusive. There’s no sense of repose. The violin melody seems infinite, unfolding over a vast, mysterious expanse. We have to go out and meet this movement, master its quirks, get into its quasi-religious atmosphere. When it ends, the feeling of peace appears in retrospect. Then we can perceive the movement as a whole. It has taken us through episodes of tenderness and contemplation. It follows a meandering path, devoid of anxiety, after the tumult of the opening Allegro The theme of the Finale has been said to derive from the mélodie ‘L’hiver a cessé’ (Winter has ended), from his song cycle La Bonne Chanson. Eva, isn’t there a message there? Eva Zavaro: Probably, insofar as, even in his twilight years, Fauré was still very youthful in temperament. Right to the very end, he retained his enjoyment of life, his vitality of spirit, mingled with serenity. This last movement really does suggest something coming into bud, a renewal, a resurgence.
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