Maurice RAVEL (1875-1937)
Le Tombeau de Couperin (1914-17, orc 1919) [25:28]
(Including Fugue and Toccata orch. (2013) Kenneth Hesketh)
Alborada del gracioso (1904-05, orch 1918) [7:58]
Une barque sur l’océan (1904-05, orch 1906) [8:33]
Pavane pour une infante défunte (1899, orch 1910) [6:29]
Menuet antique (1895, orch 1929) [6:33]
La Valse, poème choréographique (1919) [12:14]
Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra/Sakari Oramo
rec. 2020/21, Konserthuset, Stockholm, Sweden.
DSD
BIS BIS-2438 SACD [68:43]
This might be regarded as a valedictory disc from the partnership of Sakari Oramo and the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra: in May 2021, just a few weeks after the last set of sessions, Oramo stepped down as the orchestra’s chief conductor, a post he had held snice 2009.
The very interesting and enjoyable programme largely consists of orchestrations of Ravel piano pieces. For the most part these orchestrations are by the composer himself with one significant exception, which I’ll come to in a moment.
The only score that began life as an orchestra work is La Valse, a work commissioned by Diaghilev. The great impresario recognised the music’s worth but, to Ravel’s dismay, considered it unsuitable as a ballet score. The composer had the satisfaction of seeing La Valse establish itself quickly as a concert masterpiece, however. The score was perceived by many as a comment on the destruction of old European civilization during and after World War I. However, as Jean-Pascal Vachon reminds us in his booklet essay, Ravel was quick to point out that the original ballet scenario was set in the Vienna of 1855. Sakari Oramo is very successful in getting the RSPO to portray the half-lights and shadowy images in the opening pages. Two crucial requirements in any good performance of this score are, firstly, the ability to make telling use of the dynamic contrasts and, secondly, making the most of the swirling rhythmic ebbs and flows. In both respects this present performance scores strongly. Oramo conducts with flair and brings Ravel’s highly imaginative take on the Viennese waltz vividly to life. It’s an excellent performance.
In 1919, Ravel made an orchestral version of his set of piano pieces to which he had given the collective title Le Tombeau de Couperin. Actually, that statement is not quite true: Ravel orchestrated only four of the six pieces and, furthermore, in the orchestral version he rearranged the order of those four movements. In 2013 the British composer Kenneth Hesketh made orchestral versions of the other two movements, ‘Fugue’ and ‘Toccata’. Here, Sakari Oramo presents Le Tombeau de Couperin in its six-movement orchestral guise with the pieces restored to their original order. I think the Hesketh orchestrations work very well indeed. Though I don’t know the precise scoring that Hesketh used, I imagine he didn’t stray far from Ravel’s own scoring. ‘Fugue’ is thoroughly convincing, as is ‘Toccata’; the latter offers a particularly Ravelian sound and it makes a good finish to the orchestral version. Elsewhere, ‘Prélude, is very mobile and fluent – the principal oboe is excellent – and I like the elegance of ‘Forlane’. We hear a nimble rendition of ‘Rigadoun’ and I admire the graceful way in which Oramo and the RSPO deliver ‘Menuet’; here, the first oboe is again very good indeed but, then, the orchestra’s other principals are no less accomplished.
In Alborada del gracioso there’s lots of rhythmic vivacity in the outer sections and the vibrant primary colours of the orchestration register very strongly. At 1:57 the slower middle section is ushered in by a beautifully judged bassoon solo. In the pages that follow all the dark hues of Ravel’s scoring make their mark. Like Alborada del gracioso, Une barque sur l’océan originated as one of the set of pieces which Ravel published under the collective title Miroirs. Une barque sur l’océan was orchestrated twelve years before Alborada. Amazingly, it was poorly received and Ravel withdrew the piece. The cool reception of the orchestration is hard to comprehend since the colours in the score are both atmospheric and evocative. Furthermore, Ravel’s customary keen ear for instrumental timbre and variety is well in evidence here. The RSPO’s performance shows how wrong those early detractors were.
The gentle melancholy of Pavane pour une infante défunte is perfectly realised in this graceful, dignified performance. I’m glad the excellent horn soloist, Markus Maskuniitty is credited; it’s a shame his oboist colleague who made an equally fine contribution to Le Tombeau de Couperin was not accorded the same treatment. Menuet antique is the earliest piece here, dating from 1895. I wonder what prompted Ravel to return to it more than thirty years later to apply orchestral dress to the music. The fact that he did so allows us to hear the music of a twenty-year-old refracted through the prism of all Ravel’s subsequent experience. It’s a piquant piece in its orchestral guise, reminiscent of Stravinsky at times; that in itself is fascinating given that, as the notes point out, the piano original took the music of Chabrier as a model.
This is a highly enjoyable Ravel collection. The music is wonderful, of course. The RSPO, expertly guided by Sakari Oramo revel in its sophistication and colour; the playing is a delight from start to finish. The recordings that were set down in March 2021 are at least partially taken from live performances. I imagine that those live performances took place without an audience present and with social distancing in force. I say that because the caption to a photo of the orchestra’s last concert with Oramo, given in May 2021, makes clear that such rules applied then. The team from Take5 Music Production were responsible for all the recordings, both those made under studio conditions and the live performances. They’ve done an excellent job. The orchestra is recorded truthfully and sympathetically and lots of inner detail emerges very naturally. I listened to the stereo layer of this SACD and was delighted with the sound.
The booklet is up to BIS’s usual high standards: the essay by Jean-Pascal Vachon is very good indeed.
This disc enters a market which is crowded with discs of Ravel’s orchestral music. However, the interest of the programme and the quality of the performances mean that it is fully competitive.
John Quinn
