One of Ravel’s finest scores, the ballet Daphnis
et Chloé was written to a commission from the Russian
impresario Serge Diaghilev, which was received probably
in 1909. Diaghilev’s brilliant Ballets Russes were
enjoying an immense success during their first Paris season,
and the impresario was eager to secure new works for the
following year from leading French composers. Ravel started
work on Daphnis in June 1909, using an adaptation
of the ancient Greek novel by Longus, which had been prepared
by the choreographer Mikhail Fokine. Progress was fitful
however, and it was another three years before the work
reached the stage.
Ravel described Daphnis et Chloé as a “symphonie
choréographique” though Diaghilev complained that it
was more “symphonique” than “choréographique.” At
around 50 to 55 minutes, it is Ravel’s longest work, and
is scored for a large orchestra, including fifteen types
of percussion, with a wordless mixed chorus, heard onstage
and offstage. The latter was the cause of a public dispute
when Diaghilev staged the work in London without a chorus.
An angry Ravel wrote a scathing letter which was published
in The Times and other London papers in June 1914.
There was from the outset a difference in concept between
Fokine, who wanted to capture the pagan imagery of ancient
Greek vases, and Ravel who was inspired by scenes of 18th
century painting. It has been argued that the eroticism of
Longus’s original text, and perhaps of Fokine’s vision, was
alien to Ravel’s temperament and experience, so that the
ballet is an unconvincingly chaste rendering of an exuberant
love story. At the very least, Ravel’s portrayal of sexual
passion is most discreet, and the listener will judge how
far his melodies and their orchestration may still fire the
imagination.
Rehearsals for the stage production were stormy, with
tensions between Nijinsky, in dancing the role of Daphnis,
Diaghilev, and Fokine; who left the company at the end of
that season. The première, given on 8 June 1912 at the Paris,
Théâtre du Châtelet, came only ten days after the production
on the same stage as Debussy’s ballet Prélude à l'Après-midi
d'un faun (Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun),
in which Nijinsky’s erotic finale had caused a furore. Ravel’s Daphnis received
only two performances in that season, and its initial impact
was muted, at least in comparison with Stravinsky's L'Oiseau
de feu and Petrouchka, unveiled in the previous
two seasons of the Ballets Russes.
Daphnis has perhaps had its greatest success in concert performances and recordings,
in which its orchestral virtuosity and organic structure
can be most fully explored. Ravel arranged two orchestral
suites with little alteration from the full score:
• Suite d'orchestre No.1: Nocturne, Interlude, Danse
guerrière.
• Suite d'orchestre No.2: Lever du jour, Pantomime, Danse
générale/Bacchanale.
On the Decca re-issue the London Symphony Orchestra
and Choir under Pierre Monteux prove themselves to be in
superb form providing some sumptuous sounds in familiar music
for which they clearly have a great affection. However Myung-Whun
Chung and his Orchestre Philharmonique et Choeur de Radio
France, on a brand new recording for Deutsche Grammophon,cannot
compete with Monteux’s LSO, who prove to be in a different league
throughout. This is one of those very special Kingsway Hall
recording sessions that caught Monteux’s crack London orchestra
in its most inspired form.
In the Scéne - Danse grotesque de Dorcon Monteux’s
LSO builds up a convincing sense of tension and apprehension
and in the Danse légère et gracieuse de Daphnis the
playing has a highly sensitive, feather-light quality. With
Monteux the Scène - Danse de Lycéion - Scéne (les pirates)
builds to a tremendous climax at 4.14 (track 5). I love Monteux’s
power and precision in the Danse guerrière, which
demonstrates the excellence of the brass and woodwind, heard
magnificently at 3.49-4.04 (track 8). In the Danse suppliante
de Chloé Monteux brings a stifling, indolent quality
to the scene which he expertly contrasts with convincing
menacing gestures at 4.10-4.57 (track 9). The rapturous quality
and intensity of the orchestral textures in the Scène
- Lever du jour is quite outstanding and the mood Monteux
evokes would be difficult to match anywhere. In the Pantomime Monteux
and his London players convey a marvellous pastoral character
that is somewhat akin to the Mendelssohnian fantasy world
of elves, fairies and visionary landscapes. In the final Scène
- Danse générale the woodwind is particularity impressive
at 1.09-1.45 (track 12). Monteux cranks up the excitement
wonderfully in the voluptuous mood of the dizzily swirling
bacchanalian dance that concludes the score.
In the opening Introduction et Danse réligieuse Myung-Whun
Chung’s Radio France forces offer opulent playing that almost
seems at times leaden and arduous when compared to Monteux
and also Charles Munch and his Boston players on RCA. In
a search for additional expression Chung takes his French
orchestra too slow, a feature that seems especially pronounced
in the Danse légère et gracieuse de Daphnis at 0.00-1.06
(track 7). I admired Chung’s interpretation of the Danse
guerrière which has strength and expression. The climax
at 3.17-3.40 (track 13) is well realised, if not providing
the most muscular of playing. In the Danse suppliante
de Chloé Chung and his French players offer an unsettling,
sultry, rather oppressive quality to the score at 0.00- 3.18
(track 14). The Scène - Lever du jour is disappointingly
lacking in atmosphere, without that special shimmering and
euphoric quality, that is provided by Monteux and Munch on
RCA. The flute solo in Pantomime is well played even
if it does lack that special haunting ingredient that is
available on the very finest versions. Chung and his French
Radio players come out of their shell for the closing Scène
- Danse générale. They manage to provide an immediacy
and a drive that had previously been absent, a feature that
makes one long for what Chung might have achieved.
When selecting a complete account of Daphnis et Chloé this
lusciously dramatic performance from Pierre Monteux with
the LSO goes straight to the very top rank of recommended
versions, fully validating Decca’s selection as one of their ‘Legendary
Recording’ series. The sound quality of this re-issue is
clear and well balanced, belying its near fifty years age.
Unfortunately the performance from Myung-Whun Chung with
the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France pales by comparison
and is never a serious contender as a recommended version.
Warmly recorded Chung’s performance lacks passion and vitality,
and the chosen tempos seem far too slow.
For many the benchmark recording of the complete Daphnis
et Chloé is the evergreen 1950s account from Charles
Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on RCA 09026 61846-2.
Munch and his Boston players are in tremendous form offering
an electrifying performance that is vitally dramatic and
sharply coloured. Although it is difficult to select a
single winning version of Daphnis, Pierre Monteux
with the LSO on this superb Decca re-issue demonstrate
that there is only a cigarette paper between themselves
and Munch’s RCA reading. I simply cannot imagine anyone
being less than happy to own either account, such is their
undoubted quality.
The Pavane was originally a piano piece, written
in early 1899, and given its first public performance by
Ricardo Viñes in 1902. The score was dedicated to the Princesse
Edmond de Polignac, the former Winnaretta Singer who inherited
the large fortune that her father had made from sewing machines.
It was her salon that Ravel attended while a student, and
later. The Pavane was orchestrated by Ravel in 1910
and first performed at a Promenade concert in London conducted
by Henry Wood in 1911.
Pierre Monteux and the LSO provide a reading of constant
beauty with considerable finesse and superbly recorded. On
balance I just prefer the version of the Pavane from
Charles Dutoit with the Montreal Symphony Orchestra on Decca
00289 458 6052. Dutoit’s wonderfully colourful orchestral
playing really does catch the Montreal players right in their
prime.
This Rapsodie espagnole is one of several works
in which Ravel reflects his fascination with Spanish subjects.
The score is one of Ravel’s earliest full-scale compositions
for orchestra, although, the pieces were at first sketched
in a version for two pianos in the summer of 1907. The orchestration
was completed in February 1908 and the first performance
took place a month later. The four movement score was dedicated “À mon
cher maître Charles de Bériot”; Bériot was Ravel’s piano
teacher at the Paris Conservatoire from 1891 to 1895.
Pierre Monteux and the LSO recorded the Rapsodie
espagnole in the Kingsway Hall in the winter of 1961.
Monteux’s reading provides freshness and charm with a wealth
of beautifully crafted detail. Although I am more than
happy with Monteux’s performance. for its vitality
and shimmering opulent colour, I marginally prefer the
version, from Eduardo Mata with the Dallas Symphony Orchestra
recorded in the late 1970s on RCA 74321 68015-2.
To sum up: The newly released account from Myung-Whun Chung on Deutsche
Grammophon does
not inspire and with only one work included represents poor
value. This compares with the superbly
performed and recorded Decca re-issue of the complete Daphnis
et Chloé from Monteux and the LSO which is beyond criticism.
The inclusion of the Rapsodie espagnole and the Pavane adds
to the desirability of this splendid disc.
Michael
Cookson
Technical Note -
Listening tests do not show any obvious difference in sound quality
between the Monteux re-release and its original CD issue.
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