Gabriel Fauré’s Cinq Mélodies “de Venise,” op. 58 contains five songs, three of which are being performed in this recital. The “Bru Zane Mediabase” of French Romantic Music elaborates on the origination of the song cycle. Regarding the specific selections in this recital, it explains that, “Fauré composed ‘Mandoline’ in June 1891 during a delightful stay at the Venetian palazzo rented by Winnaretta Singer (later Princesse Edmond de Polignac). He completed his cycle to poems by Verlaine [Paul Verlaine, French poet] in Paris and Chatou, with two more poems from Les Fêtes galantes of 1869 (‘En sourdine’ and ‘À Clymène’)...”. I invite you to notice the dramatic change in overall theme and tone between “Mandoline” and “En sourdine” with “À Clymène,” traveling from a musical “day downtown” to calm and introspective experiences.