Albert Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (Complete) / Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Op. 17 (Complete) - Yan Pascal Tortelier / BBC Philharmonic

Albert Roussel (Artist), Yan Pascal Tortelier (Artist), BBC Philharmonic (Artist) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (July 23, 1996)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Chandos
• ASIN: B000000B04
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #121,176 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Two Great Ballets, March 5, 2002

By 

D. A Wend (Arlington Heights, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Albert Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (Complete) / Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Op. 17 (Complete) - Yan Pascal Tortelier / BBC Philharmonic (Audio CD)

Bacchus and Ariane (Ariadne), like his Third Symphony, is a late work. Albert Roussel was at the height of his powers when he wrote this ballet for a lavish production at the Paris Opera. It was a gala affair with sets designed by Giorgio de Chirico and choreography by Sergei Lifar.

The story concerns the adventures of Ariadne on the island of Naxos after she fled Crete with the hero Theseus, having outwitted the Minotaur. The ballet is in two acts and is characterized by spiraling melodies of great beauty and energy. The second act was performed as a concert piece and was very popular.

The other work on this disc, The Spider's Feast, is a ballet from 1913. The scene is set in the corner of a garden and depicts the goings on of the insect life. Roussel loved the natural world and his inspiration shows in this work. The insects are meant to represent human emotions with the spider, with an insatiable appetite, done in by his own excesses. The music is very charming and impressionistic in its writing, sounding as if influenced by Debussy.

Yan Pascal Tortelier and the BBC Philharmonic are superb in these pieces. The disc is a good introduction to Roussel's music and has been a favorite of mine for several years.

5.0 out of 5 stars The Best Bacchus, April 14, 2009

By 

Hegelian (Concord, MA USA) - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Albert Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (Complete) / Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Op. 17 (Complete) - Yan Pascal Tortelier / BBC Philharmonic (Audio CD)

Tortelier is a virtually infallible guide to French repertoire, and this magnificent disc, brilliantly recorded, is the single best version of Roussel's wonderful ballet.

1 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars good performance of 2 uninteresting works, April 13, 2008

By 

frothy (IN, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Albert Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (Complete) / Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Op. 17 (Complete) - Yan Pascal Tortelier / BBC Philharmonic (Audio CD)

I'm a big fan of 20th century ballet, especially Prokofiev and Stravinsky. Not being familiar with Roussel's work I snatched this up on the basis of some positive reviews I read. I was disappointed. The two ballets on this disc are rather conservative works more reminiscent of Delibes or Minkus than the extraordinary works that Diaghilev was commisioning at the time. Fans of 19th century ballet may like it more than I did.