Customer Reviews

Ravel - L'enfant et les Sortilèges · Ma Mère l'Oye / LSO · Previn

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

 

 

I know L'enfant... almost as well as I know my name, and I don't even speak French. When compared to the many versions that I already have, it ranks second only to the version I remember from my childhood. Pairing L'enfant et les Sortileges with the Mother Goose Ballet was inspired. This CD would provide a wonderful introduction to opera and classical music in general to the young and those who are untested in classical music. There is one fault. I hate the cover art. I like Chuck Jones, He has made some great cartoons and created some memorable illustations however this misses target completely. It is as if he only listened to a small part of the opera and hastily threw something together to meet a deadline. None of the magic has been conveyed. There is so much more that could have been done. This may seem like a trifle to most but being a fanatic about L'enfant et les Sortiles as well as a graphic designer this was a disappointment. Apart from that The recording was great as was the performance. Very enjoyable

At long last there is a set of the two Ravel operas that will be a welcome addition to any collection of French music, Ravel's works, opera, whatever sub-category you can name. Both are on Deutsche Grammophon label, both feature the London Symphony Orchestra under Andre Previn, and both have covers by cartoonist Chuck Jones that belie the value of what lies within. <L'Enfant et les Sortileges> (457 590-2) is a charming work (literally) about a young boy who so maltreats his room, possessions and local animals that they all decide to counterattack. Usually done as a ballet with singers to the side, special effects (animated furniture and even a living math textbook) and the Dance dominate what the eye sees in a full production. But as with most good opera scores (we will debate the adjective at some other time), the music alone is enough to keep our attention as long as we follow the text for at least the first hearing. The lament of the Shepherds and Shepherdesses is among the loveliest moments in all opera, as is the very end when one word convinces the animals to spare the child. Pamela Helen Stephan makes the "Enfant" believable enough musically, although her voice is a bit too mature-sounding. Perhaps the Fire of Elizabeth Futral could use a bit more (forgive this) pyrotechnics, but she and the rest of the large cast are just fine in their roles of objects and animals. The filler offering on this disc, <Ma Mere l'Oye [Mother Goose]> in the expanded orchestral version suffers by comparison with most competitive recordings; but thematically the producers could not have chosen a better companion piece. The second work, < L'Heure Espagnole> (457 590-2) begins very promisingly with the ticking of clocks. And indeed the plot is really quite funny what with grandfather clocks being carried up and down a flight of stairs, with and without amorous wooers hidden inside them. At first hearing, I planned to write how Chaucerian the whole thing was until I found the characters summing the whole thing up with a reference to Boccaccio! The problem on a recording is that the music follows French speaking patterns and there is simply not that much musically that will encourage repeated hearings. But I do urge local vocal groups to get a good English translation and do a staged production of this work as part of an evening's concert. It will be "a regular riot" as Jackie Gleason used to say. Again, the <Rapsodie Espagnole> that fills out the CD has been far better treated on other recordings.

He has a beethovenian approach of the score which is quite a contradiction. Broad tempos, large orchestra, big sound.

Everything is technically perfect but we are very far from RAVEL. In addition, the french diction of the singers is very poor.

What a difference with his EMI recording of the 80's which is a real gem.

The reference is obviously Ansermet but let's not forget BOUR (mono sound) & JORDAN (stereo sound).

Probably the more immediately compelling of Ravel's two little operas, L'enfant et les sortileges is a wonderfully atmospheric work and far more immediately attractive as a pure auditory experience than L'heure espagnole (where following the action is crucial - it surely adds a lot in L'enfant as well, but if you so fancy L'enfant can be (thoroughly) enjoyed as a pure tone poem as well). I suppose this is what has ensured its greater popularity on disc as well, even though it puts tougher demands on the performers. It is presumably also a tough opera to stage, with all the singing furniture and the buzzing bugs, beetles and animals in the garden. Musically, however, it is spell-binding. In the words of the story's author, Colette, "I had not foreseen that a wave of orchestrated sound, starred with nightingales and fireflies would raise my modest work up to such heights."

I have not heard Previn's previous recording of the work, but he provides a superb one here. The LSO is marvelous, producing lush, warm, but clear and often appropriately fragile textures and some truly magnificent solo playing. The Children's chorus is excellent as well, and Previn guides them all with great sensitivity, superb pacing, a wonderful ebb and flow and attention to detail, and finely shaped climaxes. The sound is equally warm and clear and detailed.

As for the soloists, Pamela Helen Stephan sings very well and beautifully - she certainly does not sound like the young boy she is portraying, but I am not completely sure the extent to which I think this is an objection. I have few qualms any of the other roles - well-characterized, variegated and even evocative performances from all of them, really (I see that some reviewers complain about the French diction, but I am really not in a position to judge). As a filler nothing could be more appropriate than Ma mere l'oye, though despite some fine details I cannot honestly say that Previn's version ranks up there with the very best (Abbado is a safe bet; Boulez a remarkable alternative). Still, the main attraction of this disc is the opera, and I am happy to say that it strikes me as close to a total success. As such, this disc deserves a top rating.

This is NOT a review of the recording - it is a review of the booklet accompanying the CD - nearly every other page of the booklet is the libretto of Verdi's "Falstaff" - which means a good chunk of the program notes for the Ravel are NOT included!