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Ravel: Orchestral Works, Vol. 5 / Slatkin, Orchestre National de Lyon
Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
$3.50
Original: $9.99
-65%Ravel: Orchestral Works, Vol. 5 / Slatkin, Orchestre National de Lyonâ
$9.99
$3.50Description
Listen to the Naxos Podcast to learn more about this release
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
Now hereâs a novelty that fans of Ravel and Rimsky-Korsakov will want to hear. In 1910, the story of Antar reached the stage in Paris as a play, with incidental music by Ravel arranged out of Rimskyâs eponymous symphony/tone poem (with a bit of Mlada thrown in for good measure). There is very little original music by Ravelâjust a couple of minutes in allâbut the arrangements involve some telling reorchestration and the creation of numerous short interludes. The cinematic conclusion (sound clip) sums things up nicely. All told, you get almost the complete original work: the first three movements, plus a good bit of the finale, albeit in a different order.
Unfortunately, for this premiere recording a long, pretentious, self-consciously âpoeticâ narration has been added, with words by Amin Maalouf. His main musical distinction lies in the fact that he has furnished several opera librettos for Kaija Saariaho, as if thatâs a recommendation. My annoyance grew with every word. I mean, the only reason anyone wants to hear this piece is to find out what Ravel did with Rimskyâs original. Why put narrator AndrĂ© Dussolier in what sounds like an empty aircraft hangar and superimpose his histrionic reading of the text on top of the music? Youâll get through it, but it was a bad decision.
That said, Slatkinâs conducting is excellent, as it almost always is when heâs interpreting Russian music, and the sonics are very good when the narrator isnât narrating. The coupling is a fine performance of ShĂ©hĂ©razade. Isabelle Druetâs voice is, arguably, a bit too small for the work, but she only sounds strained at the climax of Asie. Otherwise, she sings with intelligence, excellent diction, and characterful attention to the text. A sometimes frustrating release, then, but a collectorâs item all the same.
â ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)
