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Of the two symphonic suites that Maurice Ravel constructed
from his ballet Daphnis and Chloe, it is the second from 1913 that has
remained the most popular. The plot of the ballet comes from a second
century novel by the Greek writer Logos, and tells the simple story of
a pirate invasion on the isle of Lesbos. Amongst the maidens taken captive
is Chloe, Daphnis’ lover. With the help of Pan, Daphnis is able to recover
his beloved. Ravel commented that he did not set out so much as to depict
ancient Greece as much as he set out to create music that was evocative
of his own romanticized version of the country. And what a magnificent
vision is must have been indeed. One would be hard pressed to find a more
picturesque musical score than this.
Georges Prêtre leads a stunning live performance
here, every nuance perfectly in place. Take special note of the splendid
way in which pastoral setting of the island is set up with the rustling
of the leaves in the strings and the singing of birds in the winds. (Track
1 beginning through 2:35). Prêtre’s exquisite give and take, his
masterful build of tension and volume, and his slight holding back just
before every major forte (Track 1 4:15-5:10) is simply breathtaking. This
is a magnificently thought-out interpretation executed to perfection.
That this was brought off so well in a live performance is simply remarkable.
La Valse, from 1920 is not without a fair share
of sarcasm. Designed to depict the self-destruction of the bourgeoisie
after the First World War, the piece builds in speed and intensity until
it practically destroys itself from the outside in. This is a lively rollicking
performance, executed with tremendous flair.
Bizet never considered himself a composer of symphonic
music, and wrote his only contribution to the genre as a seventeen-year-old
student. This charming classically oriented work lay dormant for many
years, being re-discovered in the 1950s. It has since gained a great deal
of popularity, and ranks alongside Prokofiev’s Classical Symphony,
and Britten’s Simple Symphony as outstanding examples of how
Haydn and Mozart influenced later composers.
Although tight and well balanced, the opening movement
here leaves us wanting a bit more effervescence. Tempi are on the stodgy
side and while the music is by no means left to die on the vine in the
manner of say, Beecham or Walter, it never really gains the kind of sparkle
that conductors such as Saraste and Marriner have produced.
Bizet will receive a star in his crown for this work
if for no other reason than the near perfect oboe solo that is the centerpiece
of the second movement (Track 4, 0:57-2:01) through This is some of the
loveliest writing for the instrument in the repertoire. It is delivered
here with somewhat shaky intonation, but with a fine lyrical spirit. One
rather longs, however, for John Mack or Ronald Roseman to be sitting in
the principal’s chair.
The scherzo fares better, rolling along at a lively clip,
and played with a great deal of verve. The moto perpetuo string
and wind writing of the final movement are played to perfection. Ensemble
is excellent here and the tempi are just right.
Recorded sound is fine, and the booklet, with notes in
four languages is thorough if not a little academic and dry. Not the end-all
performance, but recommended nonetheless.
Kevin Sutton
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M. RAVEL
Daphnis
et Chloe Suite No. 2
La
Valse
G. BIZET
Symphony in C
Allegro
vivo
Adagio
Scherzo.
Allegro vivace
Allegro
Vivace
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SWR Radio Symphony
Orchestra, Stuttgart 