Composer: Paul Dukas, Charles Koechlin, Maurice Ravel
Orchestra: Strasbourg Philharmonic Orchestra
Conductor: Marc Albrecht
Format: FLAC (tracks)
Label: Pentatone
Catalogue: PTC5186336
Release: 2010
Size: 230 MB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes
01. Dukas: The Sorcerer’s Apprentice
Ravel: Ma Mère l’Oye
02. Prelude – Tres lent
03. I. Danse du rouet et scene – Allegro
04. II. Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant
05. III. Les entretiens de la Belle at de la Bete
06. IV. Petit Poucet
07. V. Laideronnette, Imperatrice des Pagodes
08. VI. La jardin feerique
09. Koechlin: Les Bandar-log (Scherzo des singes), Op. 176
All the French works on this disc are based on Fairy Tales and the accompanying booklet contains notes which are perfectly suited to be read to children.
At the helm of the Philharmonic Orchestra of Strasbourg from 2004 to 2011, German conductor Marc Albrecht has chosen three French compositions inspired by literature. As a prelude, and nod towards the conductor’s roots, is Goethe and his famous popular poème Der Zauberlehrling (“The Sorcerer’s Apprentice”) which through the music of Dukas and the Walt Disney film was popularised among thousands of children. Evoking a similar degree of childhood nostalgia, is Ravel’s musical adaption of Charles Perrault’s Les Contes de ma mère l’Oye (The Tales of Mother Goose), which enables him to exhibit all his orchestral magic and love for lost worlds. But the attraction of this offering lies mainly in the immense symphonic epic that is The Jungle Book, after the novel by Rudyard Kipling: the great Alsatian composer Charles Koechlin is a real mystery in musical history as his strength and originality remains completely underrated as he easily ranks among the greats.