Timeless Ravel lives on in new recording of Daphnis et Chloé by Boston Symphony Orchestra

By -

Ravel is one of those composers who can transcend time. Although his Daphnis et Chloé was first performed nearly a hundred years ago, the music is rich and evocative as any music score today, floating along unusual harmonic lines, fluttering with elements of late 20th century like ethereal sounds orchestrated as only Ravel could do. There are moments where the melody soars and others where the music seems to drift into a world of bacchanalia. The Boston Symphony Orchestra's new recording of Daphnis et Chloé is as timeless as the ballet, completely modern and yet as lost in mythos as Pan and Syrinx.

While this particular piece is considered as part of the repertoire of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, it is seldom played or performed. Typically we are treated to Ravel's Bolero or his orchestration of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition. Getting to hear the complete Daphnis et Chloé is pure pleasure. James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra bring the story to life with the subtleties we might experience from dancers live on stage. This CD is simply the delightful music, and in so many ways, much richer than we could ever expect from a stage performance. With no accompanying dance, the musicians of the Boston Symphony Orchestra breathe life into the characters as the music dances from the recording. And they do it very well.

As is typical with Ravel, many of the “pieces” within the ballet are short, less than 2 minutes. With Daphnis et Chloé we get bursts of characterization, scintillating orchestration and rich romantic colors. This is the first release of BSO’s new recording label and a wonderful choice allowing the orchestra a chance to dance with the music.

Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Boston Symphony Orchestra James Levine, conductor Tanglewood Festival Chorus John Oliver, conductor

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Role of Music in Opera

By -
There are numerous books on the topic, and every composer, librettist, director, singer and audience member has their opinion as to what role the music should play in an opera. In a play without music, the words ought to support the meaning behind a character's actions. However, in the case of action movies, often times the action is what tells the story and there aren't words, just images to forward the plot. We might hear music to accompany action, build tension, but the action tells the story. Musicals tend to speak until the emotion of the moment just "has" to break out in song - unless it's something like "Mama Mia" where the dialog is the rails we travel on between songs; the songs themselves, written before the concept of the musical, are the focus of the production, while the story is secondary. Operas are a different beast. The music provides emotion to the words spoken, but it also plays the role of ambience when there is only action. In &quo
Read more

Episode 210b: Joyeuse le départ

By -
Image
Podcast:  Play in new window  |  Download Subscribe:  Apple Podcasts  |  Android  |  Google Play  |  Stitcher  |  TuneIn  |  RSS Provost Cunningham has Transmigrated, but to where! What is Dr Sage going to do with his body? And how can she bring home her friends, Abigail and Erasmus, without also bring home Cunningham? What are they going to say when they find the “skeleton” she’s hiding in her closet? Cast: Eddie Louise Clark  as Dr Sage Chip Clark  as Professor Savant Justin Bremer  as the Narrator Emily Riley Piatt  as Abigail Entwhistle, Calypso & Dean Stewart Written by  Eddie Louise Theme music by  Unwoman Sound Design by  Chip Michael
Read more

The Art of String Quartets by Brian Ferneyhough

By -
Image
When an artist sets paint to canvas, there are brush strokes used for different effects. Sometimes those strokes are subtle, imperceptible; they produce works of art like the Mona Lisa . Other times the very obvious nature of the stroke is the art, as in works by Van Gogh. With some composers of music, the notes on the page are their craft. How those notes translate into an aural experience is what defines some composers as great artists. Brian Ferneyhough has a masterful command of the techniques of putting notes on the page. These techniques are sometimes so subtle, even though written in black and white, they escape detection. Some of what he attempts with his music is just that, to escape detection, to bury the framework, diverting the ear away from the structure, so only the music is heard . The subtlety is so fine it is almost imperceptible. Even though he studied at several institutions, he is considered self-taught, studying scores from Boule
Read more