BaL 28.01.23 - Debussy: Images for Orchestra

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

10.30 am
Yshani Perinpanayagam chooses her favourite recording of Debussy’s Images for Orchestra.
Composed between 1906 and 1912, Images is Debussy’s final concert work for orchestra. Over its three sections it abundantly displays his customary sophistication and flair for orchestral sonorities and for painting pictures in sound. The first and last parts of the triptych are folk-inflected: the enigmatic Gigues quotes ‘The Keel Row’ from Northumberland and two French folk tunes feature in Rondes de printemps. The middle (and most often performed) section, Ibéria, is itself a triptych. Even though Debussy famously spent no more than an afternoon in Spain, Ibéria’s three movements conjure up the sights, sounds and smells of Spain so evocatively that even his Spanish contemporaries were impressed.

Available versions:-

L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet *
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Ataúlfo Argenta
London Symphony Orchestra, Argenta Ataulfo
Orchestre de Paris, Daniel Barenboim
Concertgebouw Orchestra, Eduard van Beinum
New York Philharmonic, Leonard Bernstein *
Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia, Leonard Bernstein *
Orchestra dell’Accademia di Santa Cecilia, Rome, Leonard Bernstein (DVD)
Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Theodore Bloomfield *
Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez (DG)
Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez (Sony)
SWR Sinfonieorchester Baden-Baden und Freiburg, Sylvain Cambreling
Paris Conservatoire Orchestra, André Cluytens *
Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Stéphane Denève (SACD)
National Symphony Orchestra Washington, Antal Dorati *
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit *
Hallé Orchestra, Mark Elder
Luxembourg Radio Orchestra, Louis de Froment
Orchestre National de France, Daniele Gatti *
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxembourg, Gustavo Gimeno (SACD)
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Bernard Haitink
Stuttgart Radio Symphony Orchestra, Heinz Holliger
Anima Eterna Brugge, Jos van Immerseel
Orchestre National de la Radiodiffusion Française, Désiré-Emile Inghelbrecht
L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, Armin Jordan
Orchestre national de France, Emmanuel Krivine
Orchestre Philharmonique du Luxemboug, Emmanuel Krivine *
Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Gyorgy Lehel *
Orchestre National de Lyon, Jun Märkl
Orchestre National de l‘O.R.T.F., Jean Martinon *
BBC Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
French National Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
London Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux *
San Francisco Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Monteux
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Charles Munch
Philadelphia Orchestra, Eugene Ormandy *
Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Paul Paray
André Previn, London Symphony Orchestra
Belgian Radio and Television Philharmonic Orchestra, Alexander Rahbari
City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Esa-Pekka Salonen *
Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra, Jukka-Pekka Saraste *
Singapore Symphony Orchestra, Lan Shui (SACD)
Orchestre National de France, Leopold Stokowski *
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas
San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (SACD)
Ulster Orchestra, Yan Pascal Tortelier
NBC Symphony Orchestra, Arturo Toscanini *

* = download only

[Alison]

Haitink, Denève and Elder for me.

[richardfinegold]

Paray not on the list?

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Paray not on the list?

Mea culpa.

I've added it to the list.

[jayne lee wilson]

Wonderful music, great subject......

Off-the-top-off.....
..... sparklingly fresh Champagne from Immerseel (any Debussian needs to hear this one); a New World Vintage Malbec from Boston SO/Munch (on a gorgeous Japanese JVC XRCD ), and an Old World classic (a Sancerre or a Pouilly Fuissé) from.... the incomparable Haitink of course.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

On its last Bal outing, Jonathan Swain recommended the LSO/Monteux recording.

[EnemyoftheStoat]

LSO/Previn, Montreal/Dutoit, RCO/Dorati and RCO/Haitink (Images only) here. Enough to be going on with, I think.

[Barbirollians]

On its last Bal outing, Jonathan Swain recommended the LSO/Monteux recording.

He was right . An unnecessary BAL.

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

He was right . An unnecessary BAL.

Well - to be fair, there are more recordings available now.

[Pulcinella]

Surely two Cleveland/Boulez recordings, Alpie: Sony and DG.

[jayne lee wilson]

He was right . An unnecessary BAL.

Perhaps not, with Immerseel, SFSO/MTT (really lovely) and Elder to consider now...Manuel Rosenthal could do with some recognition too....
..... refresh and renew...

[Eine Alpensinfonie]

Surely two Cleveland/Boulez recordings, Alpie: Sony and DG.

Yes - of course.

[CallMePaul]

Is this a new reviewer? I for one have not heard of her and am unsure how to pronounce her name! This may, of course, be a good thing in view of the propensity for the programme to use performing artists as reviewers even of works they have played.

For me this is one of the less familiar works by Debussy so I will be interested in the programme.

[richardfinegold]

Mea culpa.

I've added it to the list.

I rarely take yo to task, but I probably listen to that recording more than anything else that I own

[jayne lee wilson]

Is this a new reviewer? I for one have not heard of her and am unsure how to pronounce her name! This may, of course, be a good thing in view of the propensity for the programme to use performing artists as reviewers even of works they have played.

For me this is one of the less familiar works by Debussy so I will be interested in the programme.

https://yshani.co.uk/about

Cool way with a caption.....Bin Practising

https://yshani.co.uk/news

I like this woman! Lets see what she can do comme critique....

Aha...! Previously on RR.....(see AMcG for pronunciation...)

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/p09jg1ch