Customer Reviews

Ravel: Boléro

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

It was the best of all possible conditions... A dedicated regional orchestra with an ambitious experienced conductor; an incredibly fine recording site, St. Eustache, which combined a vibrant, resonant glow with razor sharp detail; and a technically accomplished record company looking for a new,fresh team to present Franco-Russian orchestral works in digital sound.

These Ravel recordings were among the first and most dazzling results of the Decca/Montreal/Dutoit team. The tempi are so aptly chosen and sustained that you don't even get the sensation of the music moving fast or slow, just unfolding( the opening of Alborada del Gracioso is a great example). The soloists and orchestral choirs articulate with elegance but also with a haunting suppleness and freedom( the english horn solo in part three of Rhapsody Espagnole). And the sound is still exceptionally beautiful, actually enhancing the orchestra's image in loud, densly scored passages. The only disappointment is the inclusion of the suite from Daphnis and Chloe rather than the stupendous complete ballet-their first recording. The complete ballet has been issued on the Legends series and is worth the purchase.

There are many fabulous performances of these great works from Boulez, Reiner, Cluytens, Munch, Martinon, etc; This is a great value and a perfect place to start.

Dutoit's recordings of Ravel's major orchestral works made a name for the Montreal Symphony. Everything on this set maintains a high level of quality, both in interpretation and recording. There is flexibility, refinement of orchestral color, and atmosphere. The Mother Goose suite is matchless in its innocence and beauty. The Bolero is a demonstration item, although it too has subtlety. The excerpt from Daphnis et Chloe is magical - this is some of the most impressive blending of orchestral sonority on record. Not to be missed.

This two disk set is one of those that you should add to your collection because it is wonderful music, sounds great, and is extremely affordable. Everyone knows and loves "Boléro". Commissioned by Ida Rubinstein as a ballet and premiered in 1928 was not a musical success. At another performance, led by Toscanini, Ravel complained that the tempo was too fast. Toscanini replied that it was the only way to save the work. But it soon became a mass success to Ravel's surprise and consternation. He felt they loved it for all the wrong reasons. The violinist Hélène Jourdan-Morhange relates this interesting story of one incident involving the work:

"Ravel was extremely surprised at the mass success of "Boléro" `They're going to turn it into another "Madelon", he said, rather crossly; and deep down he felt that the obsessive, musico-sexual element in the piece was probably behind its enormous popularity. But one old lady was proof against the contagion. Ravel's brother Edouard saw her, at the first performance, wedged tightly in her seat shouting above the applause `Rubbish! Rubbish!' Maurice, when informed by his brother, replied mysteriously: `That Old Lady got the message!'" from Ravel et nous 1945 page 166.

The other works on this disk are more substantive than the 15-minute crescendo and its constantly changing orchestral colors. The entire "Mother Goose" ballet - who doesn't love this? Although you usually here it performed as the suite. The "Rhapsodie Espagnol" is a favorite and delivers that wonderful Spanish flavor with a French sauce.

"Le tombeau de Couperin" and "Valses nobles et sentimentale" are orchestrations of major piano works (with some alterations in the tombeau) (there are other pieces on these disks that also began as piano works) that are probably more well known to the general public as orchestral works. However, they are very essential works in the pianist's repertoire, and I encourage you to get to know them in that form as well.

"La Valse" is really two things. There is a tribute to Johann Strauss. Ravel admitted that every composer wanted to write a very good waltz, but that it was very difficult. So, he wrote this symphonic waltz as a tribute. However, the second half is something else, is it not? There is decadence and a madness to it that seems like a nightmare to me. As if we are all trapped in this thing until everything falls apart with pain and loss into nothing. A fascinating piece.

There are other small and popular pieces on this disk that are all done well.

Recommended!

French-Canadian conductor Charles Dutoit and the Motneral Symphony Orchestra deliver what is the most musically satisfying collection of Ravel Bolero's French music. At a fine price, this is a fine jewel, with moments that sparkle and burn with a beautiful fire. The first track is of course the famous Bolero, with its hypnotic, singular theme that is expanded into a climatic crescendo which is overtly sexual, primal and sensuous. It was originally a ballet about a Spanish dancer (dancing the bolero of course) in a bawdy cafe. She is spurred on to dance even more erotically by the lusty men until we can assume the men can take no more. The Rhapsody Espagnole is an evocative portrait of Spain, with lyrical passages and tonal beauty. The Valse is another classic of French music of the early 20th century. Ravel's mother had died prior to the premiere. It is a slow, romantic waltz that escalates into a frenzied dance of death. In musical terms, there is nothing too different from La Valse and Bolero. They are both basically one motif that is repeated but changes in volume and pacing. The Pavane For A Dead Princess is my favorite work of his. It is possibly the most gorgeous funeral music one will ever hear. Far from being a melancholy piece, it is a stately, Renaissance-like work that pays homage to exoticism of the East and Romanticism of the West. The Dead Princess we assume is either Moorish or Spanish and the music is lilting and spiritual without ever reaching the heights of frustration or despair that Bolero or Valse take on. The Tomb of Couperin is also a funereal piece but its beauty lies in its imitation of Baroque music. Couperin was a Baroque composer of keyboard works. The music is aptly called neo-baroque or neoclassical since it was composed in the 20th century. This same style is embedded in Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales and Minuet Antique- all works that reflect the music of the Baroque and classical eras, an homage to Handel and Gluck. Daphne Et Cloe is perhaps his most ambitious work, as it expands on the Baroque classic and makes it more operatic and orchestrally grander. All fans of Ravel will want to own this recording. Dutoit knows this music down to a T and the orchestra captures nuance and subtlety in a variety of both light and dark textures. The music is brimming with life and the sound is crisp and beautifully remastered.

To heck with arguments about Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, etc. Ravel's Bolero was the first ever piece of rock music, so there. This version by Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony totally nails it, always been my favorite version. The trick is to not let things get over the top as the intensity heightens. Flawless readings of the Rapsodie Espagnole and La Valse to boot makes this an essential disc. This is all the evidence you need that Charles Dutoit is the greatest living Ravel interpreter.

If you are a music buff like myself ( and I do like all kinds of music ), than what's not to like about The Boléro, by Ravel? And I don't buy into that hog-wash of a story that Ravel wrote this piece in the beginning of dementia...gimmie a break and give that man credit where credit is due.....The Boléro is a master piece! Ok...my review: It was a pleasure to shop for this Cd on Amazon ( after a disappointing search in a main music store )I found what I was looking for, ordered it and anxiously waited it's delivery, which was only about 5 days. The Cd was delivered in tip-top shape and I have enjoyed repeated plays of The Boléro! ( if it were an LP, the grooves would have been worn down by now! ) Today...it's back to classic rock for me. I would surely order from Amazon again!

I find Maurice Ravel's music among the most unique and wonderful of the twentieth century. It marks the sublime marriage of pensive impressionism with--and many music scholars might disagree with me on this matter--a vibrant late-romanticism. There are few collections that highlight this grandness with as much clarity as this album.

The vividness of Ravel's orchestral coloring and the complexity of his polyphony can make the performance of any of his works a sizeable challenge for the finest of orchestras--the slightest miscalculation in dynamic, timing, or articulation can result in entire voices being lost in a mass of sound, but the Montreal Symphony do a flawless job. Also, Maestro Dutoit's interpretations are well-measured, reserved, and insightful, yet they do not strangle moments of Ravel's greatest sincerity. In other words, the recordings are, at times, passionate, luscious, and jubilant without being effusively so and can reach levels of deep introspection and even darkness without being morose or excessively brooding.

I don't think I've ever been as pleased with a collection of an artist's work. This would serve as a fantastic introduction to Ravel, although, admittedly, one is likely to judge all subsequent performances of any of the pieces contained herein based on it (i.e., the "nowhere to go but down" mentality). Still, one can always hope...

And frankly, at this price, one would be silly not buy it. :)

I love Ravel, though Bolero is not one of my favorites. So I checked this out from the local library before purchase based mainly on the inclusion of several pieces I have heard on the radio and from other compilation CDs. I have several other CDs featuring Dutoit and the Montreal Orchestra, so I wasn't worried about their playing style. And Decca has not let me down with the actual sound quality as of yet.

So my humble opinion is that for this price, you get some amazing and high quality recordings of some less popular (though pretty well known) Ravel pieces such as 'Rhapsodie Espagnole' and 'La Valse', and 'Valses nobles et sentimentales' is among my favorite pieces on these discs. Montreal brings these pieces to life with a zest and quality comparable with some of the best in the world. Perhaps they are playing it with a little more panache since Ravel was French and they are French Canadian? (I write with a wry grin on my face) For whatever reason, this is outstanding Ravel. As I mentioned, I am not a huge fan of Bolero, but it is a worthy rendition. I just want to point out that there is a lot of music in this set other than Bolero for those who might be like me and want to hear some of his other works.

Five out of five stars for sure. And a set that is very near to my CD player at all times.

It begins almost as a whisper, as if a small marching band of 4 or 5 instruments are marching steadily miles away in the distance. Then slowly but surely, after a gradual crescendo of instruments are building upon each repeated phraae, it rises to the insurmountable climax at the 15 minute mark! Clearly the most famous works of Ravel, although he had others that were also just as captivating. Great CD for the price.

Every song, every selection on this album covered my feelings! I never thought I'd be listening to it as much as I have been. It has truly encompassed my life!