Customer Reviews

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

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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.

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.

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.