Ravel: Boléro, M. 81, Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2, M. 57b & Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19

Album review

To some a brilliant tour de force of orchestration and to others an overplayed warhorse of little musical merit, Boléro is Ravel's most polarizing work. Yet it continues to appeal to listeners through its simple and direct plan -- an insistently repeated melody over a hypnotic rhythm in triple meter all building in one sustained crescendo for 16 minutes -- and for all of Ravel's complaints about the piece's inordinate popularity, it has endured as a dance and concert favorite. Daphnis & Chloé, which Ravel regarded as his masterpiece, had a harder time establishing itself in the repertoire, but achieved wider fame in the two suites Ravel extracted from the ballet, of which the second is presented here. Prismatic orchestration, gorgeous harmonies, and passionate waves of melody combine to make this suite one of Ravel's greatest scores. The Pavane pour une infante défunte is an orchestrated version of an earlier piano piece, nostalgic and sweet in its simplicity yet without any of the gloominess the poetic title suggests. Leonard Slatkin's performances with the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra are meticulous and polished throughout, though their magnificent Daphnis & Chloé Suite is the album's high point. Telarc's clear sound is due to the elimination of processing in the transfer to disc.

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