Composer: Claude Debussy
Orchestra: Boston Symphony Orchestra
Conductor: Charles Munch
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 1
Format: DSD (dsf)
Label: RCA
Size: 3 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: no
A1. Debussy – La Mer – De l’aube a midi sur la mer
A2. Debussy – La Mer – Jeux de vagues
A3. Debussy – La Mer – Dialogue du vent et de la mer
B1. Ibert – Escales (Ports of Call) – Rome-Palermo: Calme
B2. Ibert – Escales (Ports of Call) – Tunis-Nefta: Modere tres rythme
B3. Ibert – Escales (Ports of Call) – Valencia: Anime
During 1949-1962 when Charles Munch was chief conductor of the Boston Symphony Orchestra he very much turned them in to a French sounding Orchestra, mastering composers like Debussy, Ravel, Berlioz and Saint-Saens.
On this CD we have mostly Debussy classics such as La Mer, Prelude a L’ apres-midi un faune, Printemps and two movements from his Nocturnes and these are all given fine performances by Munch and his Boston Symphony Orchestra. Munch was able to get vibrant and mellow sounds in the woodwinds and brass (compared to the strong and powerful CSO brass section) and especially a warm rich sound in the strings.
Charles Munch also tried to raise the profile of a lesser known French composer called Jacques Ibert and his well known work Escales is also included here and like the Debussy pieces is also well played and interpreted.
Like a lot of other Munch/BSO recordings they are made and remastered by RCA in its Living Stereo series.