BaL 24.02.24 - Ravel: Mother Goose [complete ballet]

[Pulcinella]

10.30 am
Building a Library

Ben Gernon chooses his favourite recording of the complete ballet of Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose.

Contes de ma mère l'Oye is a classic French collection of fairy tales by Charles Perrault and the starting point for Ma mère l'Oye, a 1910 collection of five short piano duets Ravel wrote for the two young children of close friends. Each piece takes its title from Perrault: Pavane of Sleeping Beauty; Little Tom Thumb; Empress of the Pagodas; Conversation of Beauty and the Beast; Le jardin féerique. Like so much of his piano music Ravel went on to orchestrate it and soon after expanded the suite into a complete ballet score, reordering the movements and adding six extra numbers. Childhood always struck a special chord with Ravel and the music, with its very particular brand of refined, poetic expression and dazzling orchestration, surely enchants.

[Unfortunately, the Presto site lumps all versions (piano duet, suite, full ballet, other arrangements) under the same heading, so I have used the timings to draw up this list; the suite generally lasts 16–18 minutes or so. As ever, happy to have corrections/additions, etc.]

Available recordings:

LSO/Abbado [28’12”] (D)
Strasbourg PO/Albrecht [27’58”] (SACD, D)
Cleveland O/Ashkenazy [25’02”: not sure how complete?] (D)
ON des Pays de la Loire/Axelrod [30’54”] (CD, D)
BPO/Boulez [28’01”] (PCD, D)
NYPO/Boulez [27’17”] (D)
Tonhalle O Zurich/Bringuier [26’52”] (D)
Paris Conservatoire O/Cluytens [28’17”] (CD, D)
Stuttgart RSO/Denève [29’49”] (C, D)
Montreal SO/Dutoit [28’10”] (CD, PCD, D)
NYPO/Gilbert [27’14”] (D)
Boston SO/Haitink [28’09”] (D)
RCO/Haitink [26’47”] (PCD, D)
Het Gelders Orkest/Manacorda [28’41”] (SACD, D)
Orquestra de Cadaqués/Martin [28’23”] (D)
Orchestre de Paris/Martinon [28’59”] (D)
LSO/Monteux [27’57”] (PCD, D)
Boston SO/Ozawa [28’08”] (SACD)
LSO/Previn [28’12”] (D)
Pittsburgh SO/Previn [27’54”] (D)
BPO/Rattle [28’25”] (D)
CBSO/Rattle [28’33”] (CD, D)
Per Music/Reynolds [28’38] (D)
Les Siecles/Roth [26’24”] (CD, D)
LAPO/Salinen [29’29”] (D)
Minnesota O/Skrowaczewski [29’54”] (D)
Basque National O/Trevino [30’54”] (CD, D)
Sinfonia of London/Wilson [28’05”] (SACD, D)
LSO/Wordsworth [29’09”] (D)


D: Download
CD: CD (possibly in set)
PCD: Presto CD
SACD: SACD

(Done in the hopes of Alpie's blessing, as I imagine he has enough on his plate compiling the list for 17.02.24!)

[MickyD]

I have always been very happy with the Dutoit recording (fabulous Decca sound) but supplemented it with the Roth because of my HIP fascination.

[richardfinegold]

10.30 am
Building a Library

Ben Gernon chooses his favourite recording of the complete ballet of Maurice Ravel's Mother Goose.

Contes de ma mère l'Oye is a classic French collection of fairy tales by Charles Perrault and the starting point for Ma mère l'Oye, a 1910 collection of five short piano duets Ravel wrote for the two young children of close friends. Each piece takes its title from Perrault: Pavane of Sleeping Beauty; Little Tom Thumb; Empress of the Pagodas; Conversation of Beauty and the Beast; Le jardin féerique. Like so much of his piano music Ravel went on to orchestrate it and soon after expanded the suite into a complete ballet score, reordering the movements and adding six extra numbers. Childhood always struck a special chord with Ravel and the music, with its very particular brand of refined, poetic expression and dazzling orchestration, surely enchants.

[Unfortunately, the Presto site lumps all versions (piano duet, suite, full ballet, other arrangements) under the same heading, so I have used the timings to draw up this list; the suite generally lasts 16–18 minutes or so. As ever, happy to have corrections/additions, etc.]

Available recordings:

LSO/Abbado [28’12”] (D)
Strasbourg PO/Albrecht [27’58”] (SACD, D)
Cleveland O/Ashkenazy [25’ 02”: not sure how complete?] (D)
ON des Pays de la Loire/Axelrod [30’54”] (CD, D)
BPO/Boulez [28’01”] (PCD, D)
NYPO/Boulez [27’17”] (D)
Tonhalle O Zurich/Bringuier [26’52”] (D)
Paris Conservatoire O/Cluytens [28’17”] (CD, D)
Stuttgart RSO/Denève [29’49”] (C, D)
Montreal SO/Dutoit [28’10”] (CD, PCD, D]
NYPO/Gilbert [27’14”] (D)
Boston SO/Haitink [28’09”] (D)
RCO/Haitink [26’47”] (PCD, D)
Het Gelders Orkest/Manacorda [28’41”] (SACD, D)
Orquestra de Cadaqués/Martin [28’23”] (D)
Orchestre de Paris/Martinon [28’59”] (D)
LSO/Monteux [27’57”] (PCD, D)
Boston SO/Ozawa [28’08”] (SACD)
LSO/Previn [28’12”] (D)
Pittsburgh SO/Previn [27’54”] (D)
BPO/Rattle [28’25”] (D)
CBSO/Rattle [28’33”] (CD, D)
Per Music/Reynolds [28’38] (D)
Les Siecles/Roth [26’24”] (CD, D)
LAPO/Salinen [29’29”] (D)
Minnesota O/Skrowaczewski [29’54”] (D)
Basque National O/Trevino [30’54”] (CD, D)
Sinfonia of London/Wilson [28’05”] (SACD, D)
LSO/Wordsworth [29’09”] (D)

Possibles:

OSR/Ansermet [mono, no timing] (CD)
Detroit SO/Paray [no timing] (CD)

D: Download
CD: CD (possibly in set)
PCD: Presto CD
SACD: SACD

(Done in the hopes of Alpie's blessing, as I imagine he has enough on his plate compiling the list for 17.02.24!)

Thanks for the work, Pulci. Why is the Paray, my touchstone, listed as “possible “?

[Expianoman]

The OSR Ansermet, IMO a beautiful performance, is labelled as the suite at 22'14''.

[Pulcinella]

The OSR Ansermet, IMO a beautiful performance, is labelled as the suite at 22'14''.

Both the mono and stereo versions? I know that the stereo one is the suite (so not included) but there were no details of the mono version.

[Pulcinella]

Thanks for the work, Pulci. Why is the Paray, my touchstone, listed as “possible “?

Richard: The Presto site gave no details of movements or timing, so I wasn't able to say if it was a recording of the full ballet or just the suite. Happy to amend if you can give details. Thanks.

PS: The amazon.com site has this, which shows that the Paray is in fact just the suite.
Hard luck, Richard!

https://www.amazon.com/Debussy-Iberia-Prelude-Afternoon-Mother/dp/B0000057MF

[Expianoman]

The 1951 OSR mono recording is the suite plus one extra section. The 1957 recording has three extra sections.

[gradus]

I look forward to this BAL. I'm probably not alone in feeling that Mother Goose is a magical score just as say, Wind in the Willows is a magical book; both continue to enchant me.
There's something about Monteux and the LSO that I've never heard surpassed especially in the concluding section where the strings shape one particular phrase magically. Odd how a moment can stay with you from a performance.

[Pulcinella]

The 1951 OSR mono recording is the suite plus one extra section. The 1957 recording has three extra sections.

Thanks. If Richard replies I might amend both 'possibles'!
The BBC MM CD offering is of the suite.

[Master Jacques]

I look forward to this BAL. I'm probably not alone in feeling that Mother Goose is a magical score just as say, Wind in the Willows is a magical book; both continue to enchant me.
There's something about Monteux and the LSO that I've never heard surpassed especially in the concluding section where the strings shape one particular phrase magically. Odd how a moment can stay with you from a performance.

I think I know the moment you mean: I saw the complete ballet staged for the first time, in late November at the Paris Opéra, and missed Monteux at that moment. I must say that the ballet was beautifully done, and the staging (ending in a winter snowfall) was as enchanting - movingly so - as I'd hoped.

[Much better than the Richard Jones L'enfant et les sortiléges which came after the interval, which was pretty much charmless - he got a notion in his noddle that the opera was really about World War I, which stymied it.]

[Pulcinella]

The 1951 OSR mono recording is the suite plus one extra section. The 1957 recording has three extra sections.

I'm a bit confused (nothing new there).
The 1957 recording claims to be the suite.
Admittedly there are 6 movements listed (the suite usually contains only 5, which is why I ended up using overall timing as my main criterion).
So surely IT'S the one that's the suite with one extra movement.
Are you saying that the 1957 recording has 9 sections?

https://www.discogs.com/release/12167106-Ravel-Debussy-Ansermet-LOrchestre-De-La-Suisse-Romande-Ma-Mère-LOye-Mother-Goose-Nocturnes-

[HighlandDougie]

I look forward to this BAL. I'm probably not alone in feeling that Mother Goose is a magical score just as say, Wind in the Willows is a magical book; both continue to enchant me.
There's something about Monteux and the LSO that I've never heard surpassed especially in the concluding section where the strings shape one particular phrase magically. Odd how a moment can stay with you from a performance.

This had me listen to the Monteux afresh - and like Mr Jimmy (see above) - I also think I know what you mean. Monteux imparts an almost transcendentally beautiful quality which I certainly don't find with Boulez, fine as the BPO playing might be. The Tower Records Japan remastering (a box of Monteux's LSO recordings) also helps.

[pastoralguy]

One of my all time favourite scores. We heard the Scottish Chamber Orchestra play it last Wednesday under the oboist Leleux. Absolutely magical.

My first experience was buying in a CfP record of Sir Alex Gibson conducting the SNO for The Carnival of the Animals. Mother Goose was the other work on the disc. I played the Carnival once then played the Ravel until the record was unplayable! I’ve now got the cd and although it’s not as glossy as some other performances it still strikes a chord with me every time.

Really looking forward to this BaL.

[Expianoman]

Since I have only the 1957 recording I was relying on a description of the earlier one. The 1957 recording has the extra Prelude, Spinning Wheel Dance and one of the interludes. So is definitely not exactly the suite, nor is it complete. It may be that the 1951 is the same, but the description I have does not include the Beauty and the Beast, which is a bit strange.

So, yes, a bit confusing.

[cloughie]

Since I have only the 1957 recording I was relying on a description of the earlier one. The 1957 recording has the extra Prelude, Spinning Wheel Dance and one of the interludes. So is definitely not exactly the suite, nor is it complete. It may be that the 1951 is the same, but the description I have does not include the Beauty and the Beast, which is a bit strange.

So, yes, a bit confusing.

1951 and 1957 have the same six movements, the conventional 5 movt Suite plus the Prelude. The movt timings are:

1951. 1957
6.10. 6.14
1.28. 1.33
2.56. 3.03
3.36. 3.32
4.14. 3.58
3.47. 4.11

Seems like thats the way he liked the work! Quite tidy to tag on the prelude.

There are a number of recordings of both the Suite and the Ballet which are really good. Really beautiful music - LSO Monteux, BPO Boulez and PCO Cluytens maybe my top 3 in no particular order. Paray and Munch alongside the above mentioned extended Ansermet suite.