Our Summer BAL 61: Debussy Jeux

[Beef Oven!]

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.

And Xavier-Roth's Les Siecles La Mer, but no Jeux yet.

[Pulcinella]

And Xavier-Roth's Les Siecles La Mer, but no Jeux yet.

Due out in the autumn, according to post #1.

Great - the first two of the current runs of Our Summer BaLs have both been dedicated to favourite works of mine.

And Cleveland/Boulez versions doing well in both!

[Bryn]

And Xavier-Roth's Les Siecles La Mer, but no Jeux yet.

The Xavier-Roth La Mer is not included in the Warner box. For that, they opted for Philharmonia/Giulini.

[Beef Oven!]

The Xavier-Roth La Mer is not included in the Warner box. For that, they opted for Philharmonia/Giulini.

I would have sworn I saw it listed. Mea culpa.

Btw, have you heard that first orchestral suite?

[Bryn]

I would have sworn I saw it listed. Mea culpa.

Btw, have you heard that first orchestral suite?

I listened to it earlier this afternoon. Decidedly early Debussy. If he orchestrated the third movement, it was not recovered with the other three orchestrated movements and the 2 piano version. The third movement was orchestrated this century by Philippe Manoury.

[Beef Oven!]

I listened to it earlier this afternoon. Decidedly early Debussy. If he orchestrated the third movement, it was not recovered with the other three orchestrated movements and the 2 piano version. The third movement was orchestrated this century by Philippe Manoury.

I was thinking about purchasing that recording but was worried that it might be a bit 'early Debussy' for my liking. I might just download La Mer. Yes, I'd read hat Manoury had orchestrated the third movement (btb, I quite like Manoury's opera '60th Parallel').

[BBMmk2]

And Xavier-Roth's Les Siecles La Mer, but no Jeux yet.

Now that be worth waiting for!

[Beef Oven!]

Now that be worth waiting for!

Yes, will be interesting to hear what he does with it, period instruments n’all.

[gurnemanz]

Thanks so much for pointing us towards this music. I have long had the Haitink Debussy Orchestral Music twofer on Philips Duo but had not devoted that much attention to that particular work. I have duly listened to it a couple of times today. Since ballet music can only really be fully appreciated in the theatre with dancers, I have also now watched a YouTube video. I greatly enjoyed the experience. We cannot know how close they have got to the staging and choreography of the original performance (which was not a success) but it seemed to me to be a very worthwhile attempt. They danced beautifully, portraying the graceful and playful interaction of a tennis game, which, based on the title Jeux, must be the essence of the piece (even if the dance moves did not seem to be specifically tennis-related). I liked the Edwardian tennis costumes and the participants in the game create an element of linear narrative which is not conveyed in the music on its own.

video link

[Barbirollians]

The Cluytens was also on a Royal Classics disc coupled with Barbirolli's wonderful late recordings of La Mer and the Nocturnes with the Orchestre de Paris .

Of my three recordings Haitink does just shade Cluytens and Rattle for me but all are excellent.

[richardfinegold]

I still haven’t connected with this piece. I’ve heard it twice in concert, and have recordings by Martinon and Haitink, and I otherwise listen to a lot of Debussy.

[BBMmk2]

I still haven’t connected with this piece. I’ve heard it twice in concert, and have recordings by Martinon and Haitink, and I otherwise listen to a lot of Debussy.

Basically it’s written in a series of shall I say blocks. Or perhaps scenes maybe a better word. I studied this work at OU.

[verismissimo]

I even heard the LPO play Jeux, brilliantly, with Vladimir Jurowski at the Festival Hall … and remained unmoved.

[Joseph K]

I studied this work at OU.

Open University?

[Beef Oven!]

Open University?

Yes. It's a university for people who didn't go when they were 18.