Our Summer BAL 61: Debussy Jeux

[Belgrove]

Since it is the centenary of Debussy's death, might I suggest a discussion of this work?

I simply didn't get it for years. Repeated listenings to the highly regarded Haitink recording with the Concertgebouw failed to gel into anything that made sense. It was only on hearing Dutoit with the Montreal SO that the scales fell from my ears, and a masterpiece was revealed. This recording has a sense of the dance about it (has anyone seen it performed as a ballet?) and a discernible architecture to the work despite its myriad changes in tempo. I also have Boulez with The Cleveland, which is a highly detailed, almost forensic, account. Roth will be releasing a recording with Les Siècles in the autumn, which is an exciting prospect having heard him conduct it with the LSO earlier in the year.

Any strong recommendations (or ones to avoid)?

[Beef Oven!]

Since it is the centenary of Debussy's death, might I suggest a discussion of this work?

I simply didn't get it for years. Repeated listenings to the highly regarded Haitink recording with the Concertgebouw failed to gel into anything that made sense. It was only on hearing Dutoit with the Montreal SO that the scales fell from my ears, and a masterpiece was revealed. This recording has a sense of the dance about it (has anyone seen it performed as a ballet?) and a discernible architecture to the work despite its myriad changes in tempo. I also have Boulez with The Cleveland, which is a highly detailed, almost forensic, account. Roth will be releasing a recording with Les Siècles in the autumn, which is an exciting prospect having heard him conduct it with the LSO earlier in the year.

Any strong recommendations (or ones to avoid)?

I came late to Jeux. In the late 1980s.

I was listening to R3 one afternoon and it was played accompanied by quite an interesting narrative about its history, how it was written, what is was about etc and the performance blew me away, I fell in love with it.

It wasn't for a year or two that I actually bought a CD contains it. Rattle, CBSO. It did not do the same for me. I dont know if it was the performance or the fact that those initial euphoric feelings can ever be recaptured. Probably the latter.

Over time I seem to have acquired more recordings of it than I can shake a stick at, including Rosenthal - Orchestra Of The Theatre National L'Opera De Paris (current fave), Boulez, Haitink, Martinon, Dutoit and a few others on the likes of CfP etc.

I'm currently having an after dinner listen to the Haitink.

The Rosenthal is on this interesting CD that I acquired a little while ago. It has some Varese and Stravinsky works on it and is cheap. Available on Amazon.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Great - the first two of the current runs of Our Summer BaLs have both been dedicated to favourite works of mine. This is such a wonderful score - it does everything that The Rite of Spring does - except backwards and in high heels. And quieter, of course, which might explain the greater popularity of the Stravinsky.

I have five recordings, all excellent in their various ways, and which combine to give a fuller idea of the rich variety of the score. Boulez (CBS/SONY and DG), Haitink, Baudo, Conlon.

[Richard Barrett]

Nice idea, thanks Belgrove. I look forward to investigating more recordings of this work, which I've only very recently been getting to know more intimately (so to speak), courtesy of the Boulez DG recording. I can't quite imagine it being much improved on, but I look forward to finding out.

Not having boned up on the work very much: it has a lot to do with the second act of Parsifal to my ears.

[verismissimo]

I've yet to experience the epiphany with Jeux that Belgrove and others describe. Is it its apparent shapelessness that creates a problem?

As others, I have Haitink on CD, but also an ancient mono Ace of Clubs LP with Ansermet.

Great choice, BTW!

[Bryn]

For what it's worth, in 2001 Andrew Clements reckoned only Haitink and Boulez (the latter with the Clevelanders) get it right, with Boulez/Cleveland pipping the post.

[Pulcinella]

I've yet to experience the epiphany with Jeux that Belgrove and others describe. Is it its apparent shapelessness that creates a problem?

I think it is, for me, so perhaps this thread will cause me to see/hear it in a different light.
Baudo, Boulez (Sony), Haitink, Martinon, Rattle on my shelves, as well as a BBCMM one.
I have a (distant) memory of the Baudo being particularly well thought of, but that the Haitink was the exemplary performance to have; opinions might now be different.

[Bryn]

I think it was Boulez who awoke my love of the work, back in the '60s. I have a few recordings of Jeux, among which are:

LPO.Baudo
ORL, de Froment
ONORTF, Martinon
CBSO, Rattle
RCO, Haitink
NPO, Boulez
CO, Boulez
OSCC, Cluytens
ONL, Märkl
MSO, Dutoit
et al

+ original piano version:

Jean-Pierre Armangaud
Martin Jones

the Jean-Efflam Bavouzet is on order.

I have to admit I find myself in the same camp as Clements and Barrett in favouring the Cleveland/Boulez recording.

[Pianoman]

Not having boned up on the work very much: it has a lot to do with the second act of Parsifal to my ears.

Exactly the point made in the Holloway book 'Debussy and Wagner' I mentioned in another thread...

I'm just listening to my 6th recording, the new one on BIS from the excellent Singapore Symphony under Lan Shui, beautifully shaped and paced in superb sound.

[Belgrove]

Not having boned up on the work very much: it has a lot to do with the second act of Parsifal to my ears.

Goodness - that would never had occurred to me! Can you elucidate Richard?

[Petrushka]

I have Haitink (also a live one included in the RCO125 set), Rattle and Boulez (DG).

The Haitink studio recording is easily my favourite but it was a live CBSO/Rattle performance that opened my ears to Jeux. I don't know how he did it, but Rattle made the whole work seem to float in the air as if it was just a dream. It was a hypnotic listen which I've never forgotten. Sadly, he doesn't achieve the same effect in his recording, good as it still is.

[Richard Barrett]

Clements and Barrett

Not normally to be spoken of in the same breath!

Belgrove, I'm thinking of the Flower Maidens' music in particular (and maybe also the Rhine Maidens in their Götterdämmerung appearance), and the relationship between this and for example the chromatic figure that makes its first appearance at figure 8 of Jeux. I haven't listened to Parsifal for a long time so I may be embroidering somewhat here...

[BBMmk2]

I have Haitink, Rattle and Gergiev. I see that Andre Cluytens has recorded it, well I think I saw that!

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I see that Andre Cluytens has recorded it, well I think I saw that!

You saw it in #8, Bbm

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Debussy-Mer-Nocturnes-Jeux-Claude/dp/B000027K3U

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daphnis-Chloe-Complete-Ballet-Cluytens/dp/B0009VYPBU

[Bryn]

You saw it in #8, Bbm

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Debussy-Mer-Nocturnes-Jeux-Claude/dp/B000027K3U

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daphnis-Chl.../dp/B0009VYPBU

Also chosen by Warner as representing the work in their "Claude Debussy - The Complete Works" 33 CD boxed set:



An excellent survey, taking in recordings from various non-Warner labels, including the Premiere Suite d'Orchestre in the Les Siècles/Roth 'live' recording.