Masques at Bergamasques
Faure wrote very little orchestral music. His most famous piece is the  Suite fromPelleas, a very popular musical subject--as the operas, suites  and tone poems by Schoenberg, Debussy, and Sibelius all bear witness. TheSicilienneis simply one of the great moments in French music--a  confection of harp, flute, cello, and gentle strings. The tune sticks  obstinately in the memory, but as you will soon learn, you can't sing it, for  its fascination is as much harmonic as melodic. All of these works feature  Faure's own personal brand of elegant, subdued Romanticism, and at budget price  you'll find this disc a lovely diversion with a nice glass of wine.--David  Hurwitz