BaL 23.01.16 - Debussy: Trois Nocturnes

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

0930
Julian Johnson recommends a recording of Debussy's Nocturnes. Inspired by the way painters including Turner, Whistler and his French impressionist contemporaries dealt with light, Debussy used an orchestral palette to evoke the slowly changing movement of clouds, a riotous festival, and a silvered moonlit seascape. The music, at once brilliantly orchestrated and subtle, is a demanding test which separates the sheep from the goats among orchestras, conductors and recording engineers.


Available versions:-


Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado
Berliner Philharmoniker, Claudio Abbado (DVD/Blu-ray)
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Claudio Abbado
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Ernest Ansermet
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Cleveland Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy
L'Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra, Gary Bertini
Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez
London Symphony Orchestra, Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos
New York Philharmonic Orchestra, Guido Cantelli
Philharmonia Orchestra, Guido Cantelli
Orchestre National de France, Andre Cluytens
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, Piero Coppola
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Sir Colin Davis
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stéphane Denève
National Symphony Orchestra of Washington, Antal Dorati
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit
Czech Philharmonic Orchestra, Jean Fournet
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Wilhelm Furtwängler
Philharmonia Orchestra, Carlo Maria Giulini
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Paavo Jarvi
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Emmanuel Krivine
Cleveland Orchestra, Lorin Maazel
Wiener Philharmoniker, Lorin Maazel
Lyon National Orchestra, Jun Markl
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Paul Paray
Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester Leipzig, Max Pommer (download)
London Symphony Orchestra, Andre Previn
Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra, Alexander Rahbari
Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra, Alexander Rahbari (DVD)
Kölner Rundfunk-Sinfonie-Orchester, Hans Rosbaud
Orchestre du Théâtre National de l’Opéra de Paris, Manuel Rosenthal
Orchestre de la Société des concerts du Conservatoire, Constantin Silvestri
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti (download)
London Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
Philadelphia Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
Stokowski Symphony Orchestra, Leopold Stokowski
Philharmonia Orchestra Evgeny Svetlanov
Brussels Philharmonic, Michel Tabachnik
Ulster Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini
South West German Radio Symphony Orchestra, Baden-Baden, Hans Zender

[rauschwerk]

I bought Jonathan Swain's 2003 recommendation (Plasson, nla) but quickly sold it when I discovered that the chorus sang flat! Having since acquired Previn, Giulini and Haitink, I'm not sure that I want another version.

[antongould]

Happenstance is a scary thing - I hadn't seen this and this morning decided to revisit the Bruckner symphonies and went to Apple Music and took a look at a Furtwangler 4 - 9 set which for some weird reason has 2 of the Noctures in - which I love. So I took the Abbado Berliners on my frosty morning walk ... Bliss ....

[Petrushka]

I've got Boston SO/Abbado, Chicago SO/Solti, Cleveland Orch/Boulez, Concertgebouw/Haitink and Philharmonia/Giulini. For great recorded sound and great performance my choice would be Haitink and the Concertgebouw, a classic of the gramophone.

I must confess that I wasn't aware that Abbado had recorded it with the BPO. As I saw him conduct this piece at the Proms (1980 I think) I'll search this one out.

[richardfinegold]

I have the Haitink referenced above, and it is very good. however, my top pick would be Paul Paray and the Detroit SO

[LeMartinPecheur]

Wot, no Martinon?!?

(Martinon, Haitink and Giulini are probably enough to keep me happy.)

Seems like it's still on the Riverpeople website in various couplings, as long as you don't include 'Nocturnes' in what you search for (you know it makes sense!). "Debussy Martinon" will being up several, this for example:

[gurnemanz]

I have the Haitink referenced above, and it is very good. however, my top pick would be Paul Paray and the Detroit SO

That Haitink Duo set with Concertgebouw was an early CD purchase. Something of a classic and still available at a snip.

[Alison]

That Haitink Duo set with Concertgebouw was an early CD purchase. Something of a classic and still available at a snip.

yes, the sound of the late 70s Concertgebouw is a near miraculous match for Debussy's endlessly subtle score.

[HighlandDougie]

My Debussyphilia might explain why I seem to have no fewer than 18 of the recordings on the list or mentioned (I also bought the Plasson), starting with the van Beinum, bought when I was an impecunious teenager. I almost wore out the Abbado/Boston LP but then Haitink came along (Gramophone awards for best engineering and best orchestral release in 1980). I've recently rediscovered the earlier Boulez and have been reminded of the Giulini, as well as splashing out in Japan on an SACD of the Haitink. Of those, the Haitink is the one I keep going back to but I would also wave a flag for Stephane Deneve, very well played and recorded with Deneve's characteristic care for the score.

[verismissimo]

I got out the Boston/Abbado recording on an LP that I've had since it came out 45 years ago (recorded 1970).

Was it his first? Still next door to perfection IMO.

[Barbirollians]

Barbirolli's ODP recording unavailable ? An outrage !

[vinteuil]

Wot, no Martinon?!?

... if you like your de Bussy alla Martinon - this is a good way in :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000BL99UK

[cloughie]

... if you like your de Bussy alla Martinon - this is a good way in :

http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000BL99UK

There's the very good Monteux LSO - unfortunately only the Nuages and Fetes.

[Barbirollians]

---

Barbirolli's ODP recording unavailable ? An outrage !

Joking apart I also have the BSO/Abbado , Giulini and the Haitink . All marvellous .

[Beef Oven!]

I am looking forward to this Bal very much.
A first look on the shelf shows:

Abbado BPO
Boulez Cleveland
Monteaux LSO (Nuage & Fetes only)
Haitink - Concertcertgecertgebgebouwwow
Rahbari - BRT orchestra & Chorus

I fancy getting the Martinon, but purely to augment the Ravel set I bought in the summer, so I might desist here.