There is of course a great contrast between the A major Sonata‚ Fauré’s first published work for instruments without voices‚ and the E minor of 40 years later. After an ardent account of the First Sonata‚ with admirable variety of colour and intimacy of expression‚ Isabelle Faust and Florent Boffard find much that is agitated or anxious in the Second; even the ‘tender and noble’ slow movement (Charles Koechlin’s description) is restless and rises soon to a big and far from serene climax. ‘Naturally‚’ you might say‚ and so might these players: while writing Op 108 Fauré was troubled by increasing deafness and by the need‚ despite it‚ to continue his work as Director of the Paris Conservatoire (although over 70 he could count on only a meagre pension if he retired). Europe was also in the midst of war. There is indeed real urgency and eloquence to the first movement‚ but this is music of great richness and complexity‚ and to emphasise its turbulence risks understating the gentleness of the slow movement and the grace of the finale. Not that these artists are incapable of those qualities: the First Sonata demonstrates it and in the shorter pieces Faust especially has a range of mood that parts of the Second Sonata could have done with – the lovely subdued colour of the Berceuse‚ the insinuation of the Romance‚ the Morceau de lecture’s elegant simplicity (intended as an exercise in sight reading it has a few pitfalls but what a pleasure to get such a charming thing right first time!). Other players‚ for example Arthur Grumiaux and Paul Crossley on Philips (I say ‘for example’ because these two sonatas have been exceptionally fortunate in the recording studios in recent years)‚ can convey the urgency and the tension of the Second Sonata without losing either tenderness or nobility. A pity: both artists are musical and imaginative; perhaps this is not the ideal repertory for them. The recording is acceptable‚ but the piano sound is slightly aggressive.