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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 35 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Utterly exquisite renditions,
By
This review is from: Debussy: La Mer / Nocturnes / Jeux / Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre - The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)
Even though Boulez is renowned for bringing discipline to his orchestras, I still never cease to marvel at how he pulled off these simply seamless, splendid performances. Discipline is of the utmost importance with Debussy: a brass sections that doesn't have its dynamics perfectly under control can destroy "La Mer" in any number of places. The same can be said of the female chorus in "Nocturnes: Sirenes." We have all heard the wobbly, out-of-control chorus in Sirenes, that demolishes all of the splendid orhcestral work that preceded it.On the other hand, discipline can go overboard and turn into a rigid mechanical performance, and nobody needs to hear an orchestra going through the motions, hitting every note perfectly, but rendering a performance bereft of any passion whatsoever. The trick is to walk the line perfectly between being disciplined and being mechanical, and Boulez has indeed pulled this off. It is just wonderful to hear a smoothly modulated brass section playing its part with the right level of nuance, and a woodwind section dealing with Debussy's challenging rhythms with ease and comfort. The string section also play their parts perfectly. I also must tip my hat to Franklin Cohen for his performance in as fine a Rhapsodie as I have ever heard. Overall, this is an endlessly pleasing Debussy disc. The casual listener can simply enjoy Debussy's music on its own merits, while the more serious listener can enjoy diving into the intricacies of Debussy's score, appreciating the splendid job that Boulez & the Cleveland Orchestra has done.
30 of 31 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Boulez and Cleveland in another stunning collaboration,
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This review is from: Debussy: La Mer / Nocturnes / Jeux / Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre - The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)
Let's face it: there are many fine Debussy recordings on the market, and "Jeux" and "La Mer" have been recorded often. I especially like Dutoit's recording with the Montreal orchestra, and Haitink's with the Concertgebouw from the 1970's (which as part of a two-disc set is also quite a bargain). But if you are looking for a version in clear, modern sound, this might be the one. Boulez is just about perfect for this music, with his emphasis on clarity, coupled with a somewhat unsentimental approach. Deutsche Grammophon's recording is outstanding. Even in the loudest passages of "La Mer" for example, every instrumental strand can still be heard. The Cleveland Orchestra is, well, the Cleveland Orchestra - an incomparable group that is worth sampling any time, in any repertoire. Their playing here appears so effortless - which of course it isn't - and that illusion only heightens the mood created by the relaxed brilliance of Debussy's writing. A great recording, for fans of Boulez, the orchestra, and of course these magnificent, glittering Debussy scores.
19 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A top stereo "La Mer" that ranks with the greats of the era,
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This review is from: Debussy: La Mer / Nocturnes / Jeux / Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre - The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez (Audio CD)
I join the throng of five-star reviews for this fabulous CD of Debussy specialties including La Mer and Nocturnes. While Pierre Boulez clearly has the training, background, intuition and temperament to define these exquisite works, it is hard to imagine the bad press this CD received when it came out, mainly in England, where one critic said Boulez "eviscerated" the first movement of La Mer.
That's nonsense, of course. Boulez's performances in these four staples from the Debussy repertoire -- Nocturnes, Rhapsodie for clarinet & piano (or orchestra) with Franklin Cohen, Jeux, and the incomparable La Mer -- are the most subtly inflected readings of this music I've yet heard. No conductor reins in the orchestra the way Boulez does to allow Debussy colors and shifting emotions come through simultaneous with the most exposed solo playing on CD. I've heard many great performances of these scores romanticized by Stokowski and given elegant linear projection by Haitink and I've heard poor performances from big name conductors like Charles Munch and Neemi Jarvi. The thread between them all has been this -- they all treat this music like it is romantic music, especially the closing pages of La Mer where the score gives added weight to the brass and FF markings. Boulez is the only conductor I know that controls the orchestra in these moments and presents this music as the gossamer imitation it is -- French impressionism, where subjects are hinted, not spoken or shouted. I owned this CD some years ago when I was first seriously investigating these scores. It didn't do much for me then and I sold it, recently buying another used copy from an Amazon vendor. I didn't know what to think of it the first time; it was sufficiently different from anything I'd ever heard. Since then, I've sought a version that brings out the shimmering elements of impressionism, without success until today. Critics were agreed that Boulez's first recording of this music, many years ago on Columbia (now Sony), was a bit on the clinical side. I've never heard that recording but can attest no such criticism applies here. Unless you want French impressionism applied romantically, you will love these intimate and subtle interpretations of Debussy's greatest music.
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