BaL 24.02.24 - Ravel: Mother Goose [complete ballet]

[Pulcinella]

Supplemented this afternoon by Boston SO/Ozawa.
I had his complete Ravel orchestral music set on cassette(s) many moons ago, and remember thinking it quite good.
The Mother Goose is indeed pretty impressive, but with too slow/sluggish a first movement, which for me rules it out as a library contender.

Notwithstanding that, RIP Seiji.

[Darloboy]

Last covered by BaL in November 01 when Jonathan Swain chose LSO/Monteux with Boulez/BPO as second choice

[Pulcinella]

Bumping this thread in anticipation of next Saturday's BaL.
Anyone done any further listening or have any other comments?

[Roger Webb]

Last covered by BaL in November 01 when Jonathan Swain chose LSO/Monteux with Boulez/BPO as second choice

I don't remember that BaL, what did they think of Dutoit/Montreal? I've always had Dutoit's 3 CD set as the mainstay for the orch. works.

[Maclintick]

Bumping this thread in anticipation of next Saturday's BaL.
Anyone done any further listening or have any other comments?

Only to compare the two Boulez recordings & conclude that the later DG BPO version is far superior to his earlier outing with the NYPO in orchestral finesse & recorded sound. Monteux with the LSO remains the most magically atmospheric, & indispensable. Will revisit OSM/Dutoit.

[DoctorT]

I tried to find the Monteux on Apple yesterday without success

I found it on Apple Classical by entering ‘Ravel Monteux’ and then hitting ‘See all albums.’

[Belgrove]

It’s been a delight surveying a wide range of this exquisite work, which has enchanted since first encountering it. But Cluytens with the Paris Conservatoire was an unpleasant experience, with its wobbly brass and sour woodwinds, causing dirty synaesthetic colours. Perhaps the one to go for as an introduction to this piece is Boulez with the BPO, which has precision, revealing the micro details in the scoring without being academic. Difficult to differentiate between Monteux and Dutoit, who both capture its charm, magic, warmth and sophisticated innocence. The version of Le jardin féerique I’ve left instructions to be played at my funeral as people leave is Dutoit’s, so I guess that’s my winner. What a send off!

[Roger Webb]

It’s been a delight surveying a wide range of this exquisite work, which has enchanted since first encountering it. But Cluytens with the Paris Conservatoire was an unpleasant experience, with its wobbly brass and sour woodwinds, causing dirty synaesthetic colours. Perhaps the one to go for as an introduction to this piece is Boulez with the BPO, which has precision, revealing the micro details in the scoring without being academic. Difficult to differentiate between Monteux and Dutoit, who both capture its charm, magic, warmth and sophisticated innocence. The version of Le jardin féerique I’ve left instructions to be played at my funeral as people leave is Dutoit’s, so I guess that’s my winner. What a send off!

Who was it who said that the Montreal was the best 'French' orchestra in the world?! Dutoit my first choice too...although, for a while the one I played most was Tortelier/Ulster.

[Maclintick]

Last covered by BaL in November 01 when Jonathan Swain chose LSO/Monteux with Boulez/BPO as second choice

On my admittedly limited listening -- not heard Les Siecles/F-XR or John Wilson's version with his Sinfonia of London, amongst others, which I'm sure the reviewer will consider in next Sat's BAL-- I'd agree with Jon Swain's choices. Just listened to OSM/Dutoit, which has special status as the first top-grade digital recording, and one which I've enjoyed for many years. It still sounds wonderful, but it does now strike me as.... what ? Someone upthread said it sounded like a rehearsal rather than a performance, and although I think that's a tad harsh, there's more than a grain of truth in that the woodwind solos, in particular, are under-characterised. Ravel takes, as always, great pains to indicate what he wants, and while listening to the Montreal recording I lost count of the number of times in which the composer's hairpin crescendi or expressif and tres expressif markings were disregarded. Not so with LSO/Monteux or BPO/Boulez.

[Maclintick]

Just streamed Sinfonia of London/J Wilson, and although there are some beautiful wind solos I'm in agreement with Sir Velo & Pulcie that it doesn't quite hit the spot. Often the string sound fails to warm at moments when it should bloom ( e.g. that notorious fig 4 in Le Jardin Féerique ) and the string solos in that movement have more than a whiff of cheesiness. At these moments the chaste and poised contribution by the Montreal concertmaster is exemplary.

[Retune]

Sad to see Abbado's 3 CD Ravel 'Complete Orchestral Music' set with the LSO is now out of print, which includes a fine Ma mère l'Oye.

I must dig out the Warner Complete Ravel box (21 CDs, very reasonable priced at under £37 on Amazon at the moment) which includes Rattle's earlier version with the CBSO and a historic recording of the Suite (Orchestre Symphonique du Gramophone/Piero Coppola) from the 1930s, not to mention Martha Argerich & Alexander Mogilevsky in the two piano version.

[Sir Velo]

Sad to see Abbado's 3 CD Ravel 'Complete Orchestral Music' set with the LSO is now out of print, which includes a fine Ma mère l'Oye.

.

Available on Qobuz to download/stream.

https://play.qobuz.com/album/0002894693542

[Pulcinella]

Sad to see Abbado's 3 CD Ravel 'Complete Orchestral Music' set with the LSO is now out of print, which includes a fine Ma mère l'Oye.

I must dig out the Warner Complete Ravel box (21 CDs, very reasonable priced at under £37 on Amazon at the moment) which includes Rattle's earlier version with the CBSO and a historic recording of the Suite (Orchestre Symphonique du Gramophone/Piero Coppola) from the 1930s, not to mention Martha Argerich & Alexander Mogilevsky in the two piano version.

How could I have overlooked Abbado?
Surely a strong contender.
Just streamed (had to crank the volume up, so must check the CDs I have), and it's certainly one of the most magical at that Figure 4 moment.

[Maclintick]

Sad to see Abbado's 3 CD Ravel 'Complete Orchestral Music' set with the LSO is now out of print, which includes a fine Ma mère l'Oye.

Near-mint used CDs still available at Discogs

[Alison]

That first Boulez extract was the most ear catching so far.