Ravel – Orchestral Works, Piano Concertos, Sheherazade, L’enfant et les Sortileges (4 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Maurice Ravel
Orchestra: Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal
Conductor: Charles Dutoit
Audio CD
SPARS Code: DDD
Number of Discs: 4 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Universal Classics
Size: 1.16 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
Daphnis et Chloé – Ballet en 3 parties
01. Première partie – Introduction et danse religieuse
02. Première partie – Scène – Danse générale
03. Première partie – Danse grotesque de Dorcon – Scène
04. Première partie – Danse légère et gracieuse de Daphnis
05. Première partie – Scène – Danse de Lyceion – Scène (Les pirates)
06. Première partie – Scène – Danse lente et mystérieuse
07. Deuxième partie – Introduction
08. Deuxième partie – Danse guerrière
09. Deuxième partie – Scène – Danse suppliante de Chloé
10. Troisième partie – Lever du jour – Scène
11. Troisième partie – Daphnis et Chloé miment l’aventure de Pan et Syrinx
12. Troisième partie – Danse générale

13. Pavane pour une infante défunte – Orchestral version
14. La Valse – Choreographic poem, for Orchestra

CD 02
01. Piano Concerto in G – 1. Allegramente
02. Piano Concerto in G – 2. Adagio assai
03. Piano Concerto in G – 3. Presto

04. Le tombeau de Couperin – Orchestral version – 1. Prélude
05. Le tombeau de Couperin – Orchestral version – 2. Forlane
06. Le tombeau de Couperin – Orchestral version – 3. Menuet
07. Le tombeau de Couperin – Orchestral version – 4. Rigaudon

08. Valses nobles et sentimentales – for Orchestra – 1. Modéré; 2. Assez lent
09. Valses nobles et sentimentales – for Orchestra – 3. Modéré; 4. Assez animé
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales – for Orchestra – 5. Presque lent; 6. Assez vif
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales – for Orchestra – 7. Moins vif; 8. Epilogue

12. Menuet antique
13. Piano Concerto for the left hand in D

CD 03
01. Fanfare from “L’Eventail de Jeanne”
02. Boléro
03. Alborada del gracioso

Ma mère l’oye – Orchestral version
04. Prélude
05.Danse du Rouet et Scène
06. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
07. Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête
08. Petit Poucet
09. Laideronette; Apothéose. Le jardin féerique

10. Une barque sur l’océan
11. Rapsodie espagnole

CD 04
L’Enfant et les sortilèges – Fantaisie lyrique en deux parties
01. Première partie – Introduction. “J’ai pas envie de faire ma page”
02. Première partie – “Votre serviteur humble, Bergère”
03. Première partie – “Oh! Ma belle tasse chinoise!”
04. Première partie – “Ah! C’est Elle! C’est Elle!”
05. Première partie – “Deux robinets coulent dans un réservoir!”
06. Deuxième partie – “Ah! Quelle joie de te retrouver, Jardin!”
07. Deuxième partie – Danse des rainettes
08. Deuxième partie – “Ah! C’est l’Enfant au couteau”

Shéhérazade
09. 1. Asie
10. 2. La flûte enchantée
11. 3. L’indifférent
12. Ouverture de féerie

Excellent Value For a Great Collection of Ravel’s Works!

Decca has done it again with a great release from one of modern classical music’s great composers. The similarly packaged and released Debussy Decca release was good but had some problems which thankfully are not present here. Not only is this release very handsomely packaged in a clamshell, slim and sturdy cardbox case which fit 4 cds and a 20-page booklet containing an essay about the composer in English, French and German but the sound quality is also of a very high order. As the recordings here were done at around the same time period (1980s) by essentially the same performers the sound quality is consistently good which wasn’t always the case with the Debussy release. The only thing that would make this release perfect for me would be if “Gaspard”, “Miroirs” and “Introduction & Allegro” were included as well but I suppose I could find these elsewhere. Otherwise, there is little to complain about the performances here; are their better ones elsewhere? Probably yes but the ones here are not chopped liver by any stretch of the imagination. These great digital recordings come at an incredible value too given the current retail price. Everybody knows “Bolero” but for me “Rapsodie espagnole” moves me a lot more but frankly there is really little not to like about any of the content here.

Great selections, great packaging and very good sound quality makes this an easy review.

Highly recommended!

Excellent Ravel

This set is an excellent and if you are looking for any all-round collection or you want an introduction to this composer, you cannot go wrong. I have many other Ravel recordings in search for that perfect/special interpretation. For myself, I bought this for only two performances, “Pavane for the Dead Princess” and the “Mother Goose” ballet (as apposed to the suite). Before, I always preferred Boulez’s Pavane with the Cleveland Orchestra Pierre Boulez conducts Ravel and Haitink’s Mother Goose with the Concertgebouw. Ravel: Orchestral Music But, Dutoit really pulls on the “heart strings”. I cannot help but feel chills and have tears going down my face by the ballet’s conclusion. As to the Pavane, the playing is exquisite. But, for the final statement, Dutoit takes a very slightly slower tempo that gives the main theme’s restatement, played by the full orchestra, a nobler feel.

As to the sound, this is early Decca/London Digital sound that, like their recordings in Chicago with Solti, were really fine.