Ravel: Rhapsodie Espagnole/Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte/Daphnis Et Chloe/La Valse/Bolero

1. Rhapsodie espagnole for orchestra (or 2 pianos) Prélude à la nuit
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

2. Rhapsodie espagnole for orchestra (or 2 pianos) Malagueña
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

3. Rhapsodie espagnole for orchestra (or 2 pianos) Habanera
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

4. Rhapsodie espagnole for orchestra (or 2 pianos) Feria
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

5. Pavane pour une infante défunte, for piano (or orchestra)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra with Andre Cazalet
Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

6. Daphnis et Chloé, suite No. 2 for orchestra Suite No.2: Lever du jour-Pantominme-Dans générale
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra with Vincenc Prats
Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

7. La valse, poème choréographique for orchestra (or piano)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

8. Boléro, ballet for orchestra (or piano)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Paris Orchestra Conducted by Semyon Bychkov

Ravel: Rhapsodie Espagnole/Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte/Daphnis Et Chloe/La Valse/Bolero,Maurice Ravel,Semyon Bychkov,Vincenc Prats,Andre Cazalet,Paris Orchestra,Polygram Records,20th/21st Century Orchestral Music,Classical,Classical Music,Keyboard,Orchestral,Pavane for Keyboard,Suite for Orchestra

Average customer rating: Simply wonderful! quiet time reorganization of the mind Sumptuous You never have enough Ravel - just never. The Best of Ravel By Master Conductor And Orchestra

Ravel: Boléro Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Dutoit, Laurence | ( D ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Piano Concerto in F - An American in Paris Debussy: La Mer Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka / Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Chicago Symphony Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol Ravel: Piano Works ASIN: B00002MXMX Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

1. Bolero
2. Alborada del gracioso
3. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): Prelude
4. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 1 Tableau: Andse du rouet et Scene
5. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 2 Tableau: Pavane de la Belle du bois dormant
6. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 3 Tableau: Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete
7. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 4 Tableau: Petit Poucet
8. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 5 Tableau: Laideronette, Imperatrice des pagodes
9. Une Barque sur l'ocean
10. Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit - Malaguena - Habanera - Feria

Tracks:

1. La Valse
2. Pavane pour une infante defunte
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prelude
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet
6. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon
7. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere - Assez lent
8. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere - Assez anime
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque lent - Azzez vif
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins vif - Epilogue
11. Menuet antique
12. Fanfare pour 'L'Eventail de Jeanne
13. Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Lever du jour
14. Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Pantomime
15. Dapnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Danse generale

Customer Reviews:

Simply wonderful!.......2007-01-09

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!

quiet time reorganization of the mind.......2007-01-05

Have listened to this over the years from a teen who couldn't understand why anyone would write something so slow and repetitive, to a young married who now understood a vehicle for passion in a world filled with disraction, to a person who hears the joy and passion and struggles of a composer and appreciates the pain as a growth process for humans. Tenderly,hot,good stuff.More please.

Sumptuous.......2007-01-04

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.

You never have enough Ravel - just never........2006-01-15

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!

The Best of Ravel By Master Conductor And Orchestra.......2005-11-10

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.

Average customer rating: Ravels Greatest hits

Ravel: Greatest Hits Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Debussy's Greatest Hits Sergei Rachmaninoff: Greatest Hits Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits Grieg: Greatest Hits Rimsky-Korsakov: Greatest Hits ASIN: B000002A27 Release Date: 1994-08-09

Tracks:

1. Bolero
2. Pavane For A Dead Princess
3. Alborada Del Gracioso
4. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon
6. La Valse
7. Piece In The Form Of A Habanera
8. Mother Goose Suite: The Fairy Garden
9. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Daybreak
10. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Pantomime
11. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: General Dance

Customer Reviews:

Ravels Greatest hits.......2007-07-20

Listen to the genuis of Ravel on a clean sounding recording that you can enjoy time and time again without deterioration.Be advised the recording levels are not dampened so dinner guests and headset wearers will certainly be awokened especially at the end of Bolero.If you listen closely the music pages can be heard turning ,nice sense of being there ,get the cd they dont make em like this anymore.

Average customer rating: The only set you need Outstanding performances at any price More Evocative than some of Mahler's Symphonies One stop shopping! Unparalleled Debussy, and excellent Ravel In Debussy Martinon is unbeatble!

Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works Claude Debussy , Jean Martinon , and Orchestre de Paris Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Strauss: Orchestral Works Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra Bruckner: The Complete Symphonies Stravinsky: Ballets; Stage Works; Orchestral Works ASIN: B00006HM8X Release Date: 2002-11-05

Tracks:

1. I: De L'aube A Midi Sur La Mer - Jean Martinon
2. II: Jeux De Vagues - Jean Martinon
3. III: Dialogue Du Vent Et De La Mer - Jean Martinon
4. I: Nuages - Jean Martinon
5. II: Fetes - Jean Martinon
6. III: Sirenes - Choeurs De L'Ortf
7. Prelude A L'apres-midi D'un Faune - Alain Marion
8. Marche Ecossaise - Jean Martinon
9. Berceuse Heroique - Jean Martinon
10. I: Fanfare - Jean Martinon
11. II: Le Sommeil De Lear - Jean Martinon

Tracks:

1. Jeux (Poeme Danse) - Jean Martinon
2. 1. Gigues/2. Iberia - Jean Martinon
3. I: Par Les Rues Et Par Les Chemins - Jean Martinon
4. II: Les Parfums De La Nuit - Jean Martinon
5. III: Le Matin D'un Jour De Fete - Jean Martinon
6. 3. Rondes De Printemps - Jean Martinon
7. Premiere Partie - Jean Martinon
8. Deuxieme Partie - Fabienne Boury

Tracks:

1. 1. Doctor Gradus Ad Parnassum - Jules Goetgheluck
2. 2. Jimbo's Lullaby - Jules Goetgheluck
3. 3. Serenade For The Doll - Jules Goetgheluck
4. 4. The Snow Is Dancing - Jules Goetgheluck
5. 5. The Little Shepherd - Jules Goetgheluck
6. 6. Golliwoggs Cakewalk - Jules Goetgheluck
7. I: En Bateau - Jean Martinon
8. II: Cortege - Jean Martinon
9. III: Menuet - Jean Martinon
10. IV: Ballet - Jean Martinon
11. I: Danse Sacree - Marie-Claire Jamet
12. II: Danse Profane - Marie-Claire Jamet
13. I: Le Magasin De Jouets - Jean Martinon
14. II: Le Champ De Bataille - Jean Martinon
15. III: La Bergerie A Vendre - Jean Martinon
16. IV: Apres Fortune Faite - Jean Martinon

Tracks:

1. I: Andante - Allegro - Aldo Ciccolini
2. II: Lento E Molto Espressivo - Aldo Ciccolini
3. III: Allegro Molto - Aldo Ciccolini
4. La Plus Que Lente - John Leach
5. Premiere Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Avec Clarinette Principale - Guy Dangain
6. Rapsodie Pour Orchestre Et Saxophone Solo - Jean-Marie Loneix
7. Khamma - Fabienne Boury
8. Danse: Tarantelle Styrienne - Jean Martinon

Tracks:

1. Bolero - Marcel Galiegue
2. Une Barque Sur L'Ocean (Miroirs: No.3) - Orchestre De Paris
3. Prelude - Orchestre De Paris
4. Premier Tableau: Danse Du Rouet Et Scene - Orchestre De Paris
5. Deuxieme Tableau: Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant - Orchestre De Paris
6. Interlude - Orchestre De Paris
7. Troisieme Tableau: Les Entretiens De La Belle Et De La Bete - Orchestre De Paris
8. Interlude - Orchestre De Paris
9. Quatrieme Tableau: Petit Poucet - Orchestre De Paris
10. Interlude - Orchestre De Paris
11. Cinquieme Tableau: Laideronnette, Imperatrice Des Pagodes - Orchestre De Paris
12. Interlude - Orchestre De Paris
13. Sixieme Tableau: Le Jardin Feerique - Orchestre De Paris
14. Alborada Del Gracioso (Miroirs: No.4) - Andre Sennedat
15. I: Prelude A La Nuit - Orchestre De Paris
16. II: Malaguena - Orchestre De Paris
17. III: Habanera - Orchestre De Paris
18. IV: Feria - Orchestre De Paris

Tracks:

1. Sheherazade: Ouverture De Feerie - Orchestre De Paris
2. La Valse (Poeme Choregraphique) - Orchestre De Paris
3. I: Prelude - Orchestre De Paris
4. II: Forlane - Orchestre De Paris
5. III: Menuet - Orchestre De Paris
6. IV: Rigaudon - Orchestre De Paris
7. Menuet Antique - Orchestre De Paris
8. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte - Michel Garcin-Marrou
9. 1. Modere - Orchestre De Paris
10. 2. Assez Lent - Orchestre De Paris
11. 3. Modere - Orchestre De Paris
12. 4. Assez Anime - Orchestre De Paris
13. 5. Presque Lent - Orchestre De Paris
14. 6. Assez Vif - Orchestre De Paris
15. 7. Moins Vif - Orchestre De Paris
16. 8. Epilogue: Lent - Orchestre De Paris

Tracks:

1. Introduction - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
2. Danse Religieuse - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
3. Scene - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
4. Danse Generale - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
5. Scene - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
6. Danse Grotesque De Dorcon - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
7. Danse Legere Et Gracieuse De Daphnis - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
8. Scene - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
9. Nocturne - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
10. Danse Lente Et Mysterieuse Des Nymphes - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
11. Interlude - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
12. Introduction - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
13. Danses Guerrieres Et Diverses - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
14. Danse Suppliante De Chloe - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
15. Introduction - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
16. Lever Du Jour - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
17. Pantomime - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera
18. Danse Generale - Bacchanale - Choeurs Du Theatre National De L'Opera

Tracks:

1. Lento - Aldo Ciccolini
2. Piu Lento - Aldo Ciccolini
3. Allegro - Aldo Ciccolini
4. I: Allegramente - Jean-Claude Malgoire
5. II: Adagio Assai - Jean-Claude Malgoire
6. III: Presto - Jean-Claude Malgoire
7. Lento, Quasi Cadenza - Moderato - Itzhak Perlman

Amazon.com

At long last, Jean Martinon's classic EMI Debussy and Ravel cycles from the 1970s have been gathered in a space-saving, budget-priced box set. If you love this repertoire, you'll gasp with joy at the conductor's crystal-clear orchestral balances, which truly reproduce what you see in the printed music. If you respond to a lean, sinewy approach to this repertoire in the manner of Toscanini and Boulez, but pine for the timbral characteristics that used to distinguish French orchestras (silver-coated strings, tart woodwinds, and slightly watery brass) in gorgeous, vibrant sonics, Martinon's your man. Aldo Ciccolini's crisp, diamond-edged finger work stands out in Ravel's two piano concertos and in Debussy's rarely heard Fantasie. The young Itzhak Perlman's dazzling, effortless traversal of Ravel's Tzigane will humble many an aspiring fiddler. And you won't find a more sparkling, translucent Ravel Mother Goose Suite on record. Martinon was a marvel, and a sadly underrated podium giant. Grab this set while you can. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

The only set you need.......2006-01-13

After owning dozens of Debussy, Ravel recordings, all I can say is ,
if you have this set, no need to look further.
My Ingelbrecht sets are good, but Martinon is better.
Forget the Munch and Monteaux, Bernsteins, Levine, Karajan (UUCCKKKK) etc etc.

Outstanding performances at any price.......2005-04-28

This boxed set provides a comprehensive collection of the orchestral works of both Debussy and Ravel. Jean Martinon conducts the Orchestre National de l'ORTF in the Debussy and the Orchestre de Paris in the Ravel pieces. The sound is stunning, and the performances are extraordinarily engaging. I have other sets of music by these composers (Simon and the Philharmonia Orchestra for the Debussy) Michal Tilson Thomas and the LSO as well as Boulez and the Berlin Philharmonic for some of the Ravel pieces (Boulez and the NY Phil for Daphnis and Chloe) but these other sets do not contain all the music in the 8 CDs by Martinon and his orchestras. I agree with the other reviewers who find the Debussy especially compelling. I am listening to La Mer now, and the recording captures the performance perfectly, clearly separating the horns, strings and woodwinds and providing a great balance. This is a very dramatic reading of La Mer! However, I find the Ravel performances equally inspired. The Daphnis and Chloe performance is tremendously exciting, and the ballet Ma Mere l'Oye is exquisite. When I decided to buy this set, I was looking for performances that would give me new insight into familiar works and also introduce me to some musical treats like Debussy's La Boite a Joujoux. I was not disappointed. This set is not just a bargain, it's a real treasure!

More Evocative than some of Mahler's Symphonies.......2005-01-25

I can't exactly visualise the oils of the French impressionists when hearing these pieces. But I do know what the other reviewer is talking about and the point is well made. They are so inspiring and evocative that they touch your heart strings perhaps deeper than most of Mahler's symphonies despite Mahler's gigantic orchetrations! The recorded sound is excellent: and the conductor is obviously gifted and the orchestra is just beautiful despite the fact that I am no big fan of either Ciccolini or Perlman. Believe it or not, in Hong Kong HK Records and HMV are selling the boxset at about 60% of the listed price in US: a real bargain. Grap it while it is still available, particularly those who live in HK.

One stop shopping! Unparalleled Debussy, and excellent Ravel.......2004-11-21

I've treasured both of these cycles since the 1970s when both appeared in single LP installements, each one eagerly awaited with deserved anticipation. To get them both in outstanding remasterings in a bargain priced box set is almost unthinkable. I'd pay twice the price, even more, if I had to for these recordings.

Other recordings of individual works may excel these, like Karajan's La Mer, or Monteux's Daphnis, Haitink's Nocturnes, and so on. But when listened to in such consistent interpretations as these from Jean Martinon, the works as a whole take on a different dimension. Each work is like a chapter in a novel, and they all weave together to make a very satisfying experience that is quite different than one gets with just the individual compositions.

That is especially true of the Debussy.

Two different Orchestras are represented. The Debussy are performed by the French National Orchestra, the Ravel by the more well known Orchestre De Paris, an orchestra that made recordings in those days with such notables as Kerbert von Karajan and Seiji Ozawa. The Debussy, though is actually better executed. The ensemble is tighter, the string tone more sumptuous.

The Debussy has no competition for completeness. No other conductor has traversed the entire orchestral output with the thoroughness that Martinon has. Boulez is probably the closest available. I think very highly of the Boulez recordings, especially the newer ones for DG. But the interpretations lack the unity and consistency that Martinon maintains throughout the cycle.

There is more competition with the Ravel, though. When issued, the cycle was met equally by an excellent set from the Minnesota Orchestra under Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, which came in a box at a lower price. Again, Martinon won my heart for his consistency. The Skrowaczewski was better executed by the Minnesota Orchestra than Martinon's Orchetre De Paris. The EMI sound was better, but back then the quality of the Angel LPs was terrible, so the Skrowaczewski go tthe nod for technical superiority unless you were fortunate enough to get your hands on more expensive import copies of the Martinon. There was a cycle from Ozawa on DG also, but artistically it could not match up with the other two. When CDs were introduced, along came Charles Dutoit and the Montreal SO on London/Decca. And they came with a huge splash and acclaim. I puked! and I have always puked when I hear Dutoit conduct anything, with maybe one or two exceptions. Dutoit makes Ravel sound too smooth and glossy. I do give the Decca engineers great credit for the sound (though the Daphnis gets my vote as the worst CD ever produced, being that it was 55 minutes long with no tracks or indexes!).

Now that EMI have so excellently remastered the Martinon recordings though,the choice for a complete set of the orchestral works is very clear. The experience of Martinon's unified consistent interpretations is not quite the same with Ravel as it is with Debussy, partly owing to a less well formed vision from that composer than Debussy. Debussy was more rigid in his world view and musical thought throughout his life, whereas Ravel wavered in many different directions.

When you consider the price, there no reason to think twice about this set. The accompanying booklet is not extremely comprehensive, but adequate enough.

In Debussy Martinon is unbeatble!.......2004-07-31

Jean Martinon is the last director really inmersed in the impresionist mood . His performances are deeply inspired and above all idiomatic . Marie Claire Jamet in the Sacred Dances is absolutely comitted with the elusive forms and pagan enchantment.
Martinon belonged to that hard to find status conductor who really know to engage with the composer mood . So when he played his music the results were overwhelming . He had a enormous gift to suggest . I still remind The Prokoviev seventh symphony with the Chicago Symphony and I can not get another first movement so well performed , for instance .
Back to Debussy he combines the charm and nuance with that incorporean and elusive approach that Debussy and Ravel demands . I state a parallel (if I may) between Martinon - Debussy and Beecham - Delius in what idiomatism concerns .
When Martinon performs Debussy the paintings of Matisse , Monet and Manet seem to awake and come to our mind .
The prientemps and the children 's corner are absolutely of first rate . The clarinet rhapsody is the best in the market .
In the images I prefer the Ansermet version , but the whole set is fundamental if you enjoy the orchestral music of Debussy.
Notice I have not mentioned Ravel works . I have another name in Ravel : Andre Cluytens . But this is out of context.

Average customer rating: Ravel, Minnesota, Skrowaczewski: YES: Treasures from the Past Sheer Brilliance Superb-Stands along Boulez!!!! Nothing else even close! Bravo Mobile Fidelity!

Ravel: Bolero; La Valse; etc. [Hybrid SACD] Manufacturer: Mobile Fidelity Koch ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Minnesota Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé Suites; Ma Mère l'Oye; Valses nobles et sentimentales [Hybrid SACD] Holst: The Planets [Hybrid SACD] Tchaikovsky 1812 Overture etc. / Kunzel, Cincinnati Pops (Multichannel Hybrid SACD) Bach: The Four Great Toccatas and Fugues [SACD] Dark Side of the Moon 30th Anniversary Edition ASIN: B0000ADXG2 Release Date: 2003-09-23

Customer Reviews:

Ravel, Minnesota, Skrowaczewski: YES: Treasures from the Past.......2006-05-16

Remember the brief, good old days of quad? Various labels, Vox included, were experimenting with ways to get four channel sound out of the long-playing vinyl platter. I believe the old USA RCA label had a discrete four channel system that actually cut four separate channels into the otherwise 2-sided LP groove. This meant you had to have a special cartridge/needle combo to safely ride and reproduce the four tracks cut into the groove. Never took off. Others, EMI and Vox among them choose the matrixed sound path, rather like the ways FM radio was matrixing a stereo signal into its carrier waves, so that your home receiver could decode it down to two channels in your home.

A complete set of the Ravel orchestral music was recorded in Minnesota with the era's music director, Stanislav Skrowaczewski. Like the golden era recordings of the old Mercury Golden Presence label, the engineers adopted a deliberate minimalist miking strategy. Once they found what they thought was the sweet spot, they just left the microphones alone, and let Ravel and the orchestra do the rest. Then we got these wonderful performances, highly lauded from the moment they hit the streets, on vinyl with four channels of matrixed sound. You could listen in regular stereo, or if you had the matrix decoder, get four.

Now we are really well into the surround sound era, thanks mainly to how home theater got all of us to finally upgrade our hardware. Since we already have the equipment for movies, and now for HD television; we have little reason not to let our music collections into the mix. And, voila. These master tapes revive, standing up to something like their original audible stature, thanks to the new high resolution Superaudio format. Pentatone is doing something similar to what Mobil Fidelity is doing here, with those almost forgotten quad master tapes; and what a nice surprise - the sound couldn't be better.

The Minnesota Orchestra of the era wasn't particularly known for its French tradition or influences as such. If anything, the Boston Symphony had inherited that crown prince designation when Koussevitsky arrived from Paris, bringing star French players with him. Then Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch helped maintain that legacy once the big K was gone. The Jean Martinon period in Chicago never really took root, and so as time passed, the Montreal Symphony and Charles Dutoit inherited the nomination for outstanding French orchestra outside of France. Nevertheless, these are utterly superb captures of a sophisticated Ravelian orchestral fabric - replete with finesse, sheen, silver - all polished to high gloss. This will remind one perhaps of the famous Hall of Mirrors at Versailles, reflecting light in all directions. And raising almost metaphysical questions of just what is real, and what is reflection, in the cross-hatch of all the refracted light.

Skrowaczewski knows well enough to let Ravel speak, without intruding. No mannerisms or oddities mar the music, either at the musical surfaces or in the melancholy or grotesque, subtle depths lurking beneath their polish. Tempos are consistently well chosen for the piece at hand. Some may at first hear the warhorse Bolero at too slow a pace, but comparison with the extant old version conducted by the composer in person would show that this slower, more languorous tempo is what Ravel himself adopted. There is still plenty of flash and fire in this Bolero, but also lots of that French intoxication with all things North African. Tourists are still going to far places to smoke kif and indulge in love-making with the local service industry that still knows where to find them.

Whatever you may think of French tourists smoking kif or the more hedonistic undergrounds in the North African tourist industry - As music: This is all simply marvelous to hear, especially in surround sound that finally yields up for our ears what has been sleeping on these old master tapes, all along.

Of course, this disc offers more than Bolero done with a slow, knowing hand that feels what it is reaching out to touch, namely, you. The Rhapsody, La Valse, Pavane, and Daphnis et Chloe suite no. 2 are the real point. Each of these works is simply so fine that they make Ravel's case as one of the acknowledged Great Composers of the West, all over again. What a felicity that Vox had the imagination and guts to go to Minneapolis, and get all this down, just when the other major labels had seemingly forgotten that Minnesota ever had a great orchestra. These Ravel performances will wear extremely well, no matter who else does them in surround sound and high resolution superaudio or dvd-audio. The only sad thing about this disc is when it inevitably ends, having played through. One could only have wished that Vox had been willing to get the full score of Daphnis from these sessions, the recording of the suites is so very finely done.

(You will find a second equally fine disc from these Minnesota sessions, also in surround sound superaudio from Mobile Fidelity. Plus, you can get their St. Louis sessions with Walter Susskind, which captured a very fine Smetana cycle of Ma Vlast, along with a rich and dramatic vision of Holst's Planets suite for large orchestra. Do not diss Susskind, by the way, because he was highly regarded by other musicians, including the likes of Ginette Niveau, Heifitz, Rubinstein, Milstein, Firkusny, Ricci, and Artur Schnabel. Nor is St. Louis confined to being a regional band: it is one of USA's oldest orchestras.)

Five stars. Is that enough? Hardly. This disc and its companion are simply among the true peaks in the mountain ranges of the history of recorded music. They may be equaled, but probably will never be bettered. Very highly recommended. Indeed.

Sheer Brilliance.......2005-08-12

There are not enough words in the English language to describe how good this performace is. The quality of the recording is also quite good. If you are looking for the definitive version of Ravel's masterpiece, you have just found it.

Superb-Stands along Boulez!!!!.......2005-07-31

What a tremendous SACD.
So well done. Worth every penny I paid.
Even my wife said she enjoyed it!!
Great Service!!!!

Nothing else even close!.......2005-06-14

I know you already have 3 Boleros, but you haven't heard it until you get this one, to say nothing of La Valse and over an hour of other gorgeous Ravel. Flawless in every way: exciting, beautifully recorded and totally engaging.

Bravo Mobile Fidelity!.......2003-09-29

My God! So this is how Bolero should be heard :) A remarkable and tasteful debut into the universe of classical surround sound by a traditionally rock oriented audiophile leader. At times bombastic, ominous, and spine tingling. . . & for an Encore?

Average customer rating: Wonderful interpretations of Ravel music Everything is good but Le Tombeau de Couperin

Ravel: Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Serge Koussevitzky conducts Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Op. 25 "Classical"; Danse finale from Chout, Op. 21bis / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Op. 7 / Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini Op. 32 Dvorák: Symphony No. 8; Cello Concerto Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 "Pastoral" [Hybrid SACD] ASIN: B000001GHS Release Date: 1995-05-16

Tracks:

1. Bol - Tempo di Bolero moderato assai
2. Rapsodie espagnole: Prde a Nuit: TrMod
3. Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena: Assez Vif - Assez Lent
4. Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera: Assez Lent et d'un Rythme Las
5. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria: Assez anim Trmod - De plus en plus anim
6. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod
7. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez lent
8. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez Anim
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque Lent
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez Vif
12. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins Vif
13. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Epilogue: Lent
14. Ma M L'Oye: Prde: TrLent - Anim
15. Ma M L'Oye: Danse du Rouet et Sc: Allegro - TrLent
16. Ma M L'Oye: Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant: Lent
17. Ma M L'Oye: Les Entretiens de La Belle et de La B - Mouvement de Valse Mod
18. Ma M L'Oye: Petit Poucet: Trmod
19. Ma M L'Oye: Laideronnette, Imptrice des Pagodes Mouvement de Marche
20. Ma M L'Oye: Le Jardin Fique: Lent et Grave

Tracks:

1. Menuet antique - Maestoso
2. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prelude: Vif
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane: Allegretto
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet: Allegro moderato
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon: Assex vif Moins vif - Assex vif
6. La Valse
7. Alborada del Gracioso
8. Une Barque sur l'Ocean
9. Pavane pour une infante defunte
10. Daphnis et Chloe
11. Daphnis et Chloe
12. Daphnis et Chloe

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful interpretations of Ravel music.......2006-03-16

This double decker DG release of the Ravel Orchestral works with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony are first rate recordings. This was my first exposure really to Ravel as a child and have since amassed recordings of various works by great conductors of his music including Abbado, Boulez, Martinon, and Previn. This collection still remains to be a favorite of mine.

I suspect that they are a favorite of mine in large part due to the fact that Mr. Ozawa was fresh in Boston having recently taken the helm there in the early 1970's. They are light, dynamic, fast-paced, exciting, not to mention the incredible recording techniques of the DG engineers.

My favorites in this collection include Alborada, La Valse, Rhapsodie, and of course Daphnis et Chloe Suite No.2. What I especially love about this Daphnis is that Seiji did not opt out of the chorus for the suite like so many conductors do. It really adds to the impressionistic sound that Ravel was so famous for.

As a percussionist myself , i found the section to be played cleanly - and these recordings bring out all the nuances without overpowering. The section simply sparkles. On the whole - the BSO (in my opinion) really stand up to their European counterparts.

I highly recommend this set - treat yourself and pick it up.

Everything is good but Le Tombeau de Couperin.......2001-04-30

I had never heard of Seiji Ozawa before I purchased this double-CD set. I can't say that I am awe-struck, but I am not disappointed.

This double CD has a great collection of Ravel's work, as you can see. My only complaint is the version of Le Tombeau de Couperin. At times it was as though the orchestra had trouble keeping up with Mr. Ozawa. Ravel liked to conduct his music at a breakneck pace, but I'm certain that he would have slowed down if he were extending beyond their limits. Other conductors that have done better versions of this piece are Andre Previn and Charles Dutoit.

Average customer rating: Taste-ful!! Good selection!

Panorama: Maurice Ravel Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music London Philharmonic Orchestra | ( L ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Panorama Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto Op35; Brahms: Violin Concerto in D Op77 ASIN: B00004XN6K Release Date: 2000-09-26

Tracks:

1. Bolero: Tempo di bolero, moderato assai
2. La Valse - Poeme Choregraphique: Mouvement de valse viennoise - Un peu plus modere - 1st mouvement - Assez anime
3. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major: 1. Allegramente
4. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major: 2. Adagio assai
5. Concerto for Piano and Orchestra in G major: 3. Presto
6. Rapsodie espagnole: 1. Prelude a la nuit. Tres modere
7. Rapsodie espagnole: 2. Malaguena. Assez vif
8. Rapsodie espagnole: 3. Habanera. Assez lent et d'un rythme las
9. Rapsodie espagnole: 4. Feria. Assez anime
10. Jeux D'Eau: Tre doux
11. Pavane pour une infante defunte

Tracks:

1. Daphnis et Chloe - Fragments symphoniques - 2e serie: 1. Lever du jour. Lent
2. Daphnis et Chloe - Fragments symphoniques - 2e serie: 2. Pantomime. Lent - Tres lent - Vif - Tres lent
3. Daphnis et Chloe - Fragments symphoniques - 2e serie: 3. Danse generale. Lent - Anime
4. Gaspard de la nuit - Trois poemes pour piano d'apres Aloysius Betrand: 1. Ondine. Lent
5. Gaspard de la nuit - Trois poemes pour piano d'apres Aloysius Betrand: 2. Le Gibet. Tres lent
6. Gaspard de la nuit - Trois poemes pour piano d'apres Aloysius Betrand: 3. Scarbo. Modere
7. Trio For Piano, Violin And Violoncello In A Minor: 1. Modere
8. Trio For Piano, Violin And Violoncello In A Minor: 2. Pantoum. Assez vif
9. Trio For Piano, Violin And Violoncello In A Minor: 3. Passacaille. Tres large
10. Trio For Piano, Violin And Violoncello In A Minor: Finale. Anime
11. Tzigane - Rapsodie de concert pour violon et orchestre: Lento, quasi cadenza - Moderato - Allegro - Moderato - Allegro

Customer Reviews:

Taste-ful!!.......2004-06-11

This is a very tasteful collection of performances of Ravel's music, and that's perhaps the greatest compliment I can give it.
Ravel's fastidiousness was legendary, and no matter where his music goes, the taste that one applies to how it gets there is the key element in judging the performance.
There's a lot of good stuff here from surprising sources. You expect the Martha Argerich performances to be of the highest order, and they are. I don't think I've ever heard any pianist
get to the core of Ravel's music while overcoming its technical
and interpretive challenges with quite the grace that she does.
Those these pieces (the Piano Concerto in G, Jeux d'eau and her astounding Gaspard de la nuit) are available on other CD's, but they shine here in particularly brilliant relief to the orchestral pieces which are the bulk of the program. The word for her playing here is SPELLBINDING.
The surprises come from unexpected sources. One does not usually link the big, robust orchestral sonorities one associates
with the Berlin Philharmonic under Karajan with the delicacy and precision of Ravel's music happily. Yet, this performance of "Bolero" works very well. Karajan reins in those usual big sonorities and holds them for the very end, while building his
orchestral forces with infinite care and precision from a tiny opening pianissimo into one long, carefully graded crescendo. It makes you sit up straight and pay attention to this piece as if you're hearing it for the first time.
Pierre Boulez' approach with the same orchestra to La Valse, is full of sunlight, fresh air and the magic of childhood. La Valse was Ravel's valedictory work for his mother, and Boulez
communicates all the magic of maternal love in this performance.
A gem, by any standard.
Seiji Ozawa's long, protacted tenure as music director of the Boston Symphony had many ups and downs, both commercially (lack of any steady recording contract for the first time in the orchestra's history) and artistically. Because recordings of the BSO under Ozawa were sporadic, one tends to forget what a really marvelous orchestra it was and is, and the wonderful sensitivity and sensibility Ozawa could bring to bear on particular works, particularly the French repetoire. The performances he leads here are all wonderfully shaded pastel colors, scents of dozens of flowers, delicate raindrops against
window panes, the memories of simple treasures you hold onto for life.

This is a really marvelous collection. Listen to it and fall in love with Ravel, and fall in love with life.

Good selection!.......2002-10-26

This reviewer would have to disagree with the previous review. I believe the selection is appropriate for this type of collection. To have both Piano Concerti on the compilation wouldn't be very tasteful. The most important things were there - Daphne et Chloe, Gaspard de la Nuit, Tzigane, G Major Piano Concerto, and everything else. I would be highly disappointed if any these were missing. The performers all do a 1st rate job except for Accardo's Tzigane. I prefer Joshua Bell for this beast. And of course, Argerich, the all mighty herself - to not have her representing the Concerto and Gaspard de la Nuit would be a travesty. All this coming from a Ravel fanatic who has played his complete works for piano!

Average customer rating: Haitink's Excellent Interpretations of Ravel's Music

Ravel: Orchestral Music Manufacturer: Polygram Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000417Q Release Date: 1994-01-18

Tracks:

1. Bol - M. Ravel
2. Alborada del gracioso - M. Ravel
3. Rhapsodie Espagnole: Prde a nuit - M. Ravel
4. Rhapsodie Espagnole: Malague M. Ravel
5. Rhapsodie Espagnole: Habanera - M. Ravel
6. Rhapsodie Espagnole: Feria - M. Ravel
7. La Valse - M. Ravel
8. Pavane pour une infante dnte - M. Ravel
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod - M. Ravel
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez lent - M. Ravel
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod - M. Ravel
12. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez anim M. Ravel
13. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque lent - M. Ravel
14. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Vif - M. Ravel
15. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins vif - M. Ravel
16. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Epilogue: Lent - M. Ravel

Tracks:

1. Menuet antique - Maurice Ravel
2. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prelude - Maurice Ravel
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane - Maurice Ravel
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet - Maurice Ravel
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon - Maurice Ravel
6. Ma Mere L'Oye: Prelude - Maurice Ravel
7. Ma Mere L'Oye: Danse du rouet et scene - Interlude - Maurice Ravel
8. Ma Mere L'Oye: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant - Maurice Ravel
9. Ma Mere L'Oye: Interlude - Maurice Ravel
10. Ma Mere L'Oye: Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete - Maurice Ravel
11. Ma Mere L'Oye: Interlude - Maurice Ravel
12. Ma Mere L'Oye: Petit Poucet - Maurice Ravel
13. Ma Mere L'Oye: Interlude - Maurice Ravel
14. Ma Mere L'Oye: Laideronnette, imperatrice des pagodes - Maurice Ravel
15. Ma Mere L'Oye: Interlude - Maurice Ravel
16. Ma Mere L'Oye: Apotheose: le jardin feerique - Maurice Ravel
17. Daphnis et Chloe: Suite no 2: Lever du jour - Maurice Ravel
18. Daphnis et Chloe: Suite no 2: Pantomime - Maurice Ravel
19. Daphnis et Chloe: Suite no 2: Danse generale - Maurice Ravel

Amazon.com

Haitink has re-recorded much of this music for Philips with the Boston Symphony. Don't buy those records. About a decade ago something happened to Bernard Haitink that turned him into the dullest major conductor still active. Before that, he presided over a series of recordings with the Concertgebouw Orchestra which stand among the finest musical documents ever made. Exactly what induced his current interpretive coma is anyone's guess, and we're very lucky that we have stunning recordings like these preserving his fruitful artistic partnership with this great orchestra. It's hard to imagine what Philips could have been thinking in releasing two full-priced CDs with less music, when at two discs for the price of one you can have these better conducted, better sounding performances. Go figure. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Haitink's Excellent Interpretations of Ravel's Music.......2002-03-28

I strongly disagree with David Hurwitz's strongly negative view of Haitink's current skills as an orchestral conductor. Having recently heard Haitink conduct the Vienna Philarmonic at Carnegie Hall, I think Haitink is still a first-rate interpreter of both German Romantic and Modern classical music. I'm sure the same holds true for his interpretations of Ravel's scores. Still, I will say that Haitink's tempi on this two CD set are slightly more brisk than those I heard in his relatively recent Bolero recording with the Boston Symphony Orchestra. However, the differences are quite minor, ranging no more than a few seconds to almost a minute at most.

Haitink leads the Concertgebouw Orchestra in these distinguished recordings of Ravel's major orchestral scores that probably remain among the best available. Most noteworthy are his interpretations of Bolero, Alborada del Gracioso and La Valse on the first CD; La Mere d'Oye and Daphnis et Chloe on the second. These are lush, vibrant performances enhanced by the Concertgebouw's acoustics, and they sound great with the latest image bit digital remastering. Anyone in search of a definitive collection of Ravel's orchestral scores will not be disappointed with this splendid set.

Average customer rating:

Ravel: Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Trios | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B0002X4TWU Release Date: 2004-10-19

Tracks:

1. I. Prelude A La Nuit. Tres Modere - Colin Stark
2. II. Malaguena. Assez Vif - Colin Stark
3. III. Habanera. Assez Lent Et D'un Rythme Las - Colin Stark
4. IV. Feria. Assez Anime - Colin Stark
5. Alborada Del Gracioso - Charles Miller
6. I. Chanson Romanesque. Moderato - Ulster Orchestra
7. II. Chanson Epique. Molto Moderato - Ulster Orchestra
8. III. Chanson A Boire. Allegro - Ulster Orchestra
9. Tzigane - Yan Pascal Tortelier
10. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte - Ulster Orchestra
11. Bolero - Ulster Orchestra

Tracks:

1. I. Modere - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
2. II. Assez Lent - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
3. III. Modere - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
4. IV. Assez Anime - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
5. V. Presque Lent - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
6. VI. Assez Vif - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
7. VII. Moins Vif - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
8. VIII. Epilogue. Lent - Yan Pascal Tortelier
9. Menuet Antique - Yan Pascal Tortelier
10. I. Prelude. Vif - Yan Pascal Tortelier
11. II. Forlane. Allegretto - Yan Pascal Tortelier
12. III. Menuet. Allegro Moderato - Yan Pascal Tortelier
13. IV. Rigaudon. Assez Vif - Yan Pascal Tortelier
14. Une Barque Sur L'ocean - Yan Pascal Tortelier
15. Prelude - Yan Pascal Tortelier
16. Premier Tableau. Danse Du Rouet Et Scene - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
17. Deuxieme Tableau. Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
18. Troisieme Tableau. Les Entretiens De La Belle Et De La Bete - Yan Pascal Tortelier
19. Quatrieme Tableau. Petit Poucet - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
20. Cinquieme Tableau. Laideronnette, Imperatrice Des Pagodes - - Yan Pascal Tortelier
21. Sixieme Tableau. Le Jardin Feerique - Yan Pascal Tortelier

Tracks:

1. Sheherazade: Ouverture De Feerie - Ulster Orchestra
2. I. Asie - Colin Fleming
3. II. La Flute Enchantee - Colin Fleming
4. III. L'Indifferent - Colin Fleming
5. Introduction Et Allegro - Rachel Masters
6. Fanfare From 'L'Eventail De Jeanne' - Ulster Orchestra
7. I. Modere - Ulster Orchestra
8. II. Pantoum. Assez Vif - Ulster Orchestra
9. III. Passacaille. Tres Large - Ulster Orchestra
10. IV. Finale. Anime - Ulster Orchestra

Tracks:

1. Premiere Partie. Une Prairie A La Lisiere D'un Bois Sacre - - Michael McGuffin
2. Deuxieme Partie. Une Lueur Sourde. On Est Au Camp Des Pirates - - Michael McGuffin
3. Troisieme Partie. Le Decor Semble Se Fondre. Il Est Remplace Par Le Paysage De La Premiere Partie A La Fin De La Nuit - Michael McGuffin
4. La Valse - Ulster Orchestra

Average customer rating: ABBADO EL MEJOR INTERPRETE DE RAVEL A fine Introduction to Ravel and excellent value

Ravel: Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music ASIN: B00001IVNK Release Date: 1999-09-14

Tracks:

1. Bolero: Tempo di Bolero moderato assai
2. Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit: Tres modere
3. Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena: Assez vif
4. Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera: Assez lent et d'un rythme las
5. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria: Assez anime
6. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte: Lent
7. Valses noble et sentimentales: I. Modere
8. Valses noble et sentimentales: II. Assez lent
9. III. Modere
10. Valses noble et sentimentales: IV. Assez anime
11. Valses noble et sentimentales: V. Presque lent
12. Valses noble et sentimentales: VI. Assez vif
13. Valses noble et sentimentales: VII. Moins vif
14. Valses noble et sentimentales: VIII. Epilogue: Lent
15. Daphnis et Chloe: Lever du Jour - Pantomime - Danse generale

Tracks:

1. Le tombeau de Couperin: I. Prelude: Vif
2. Le tombeau de Couperin: II. Forlane: Allegretto
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: III. Menuet: Allegro moderato
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: IV. Rigaudon: Assez vif
5. Alborada del gracioso: Assez vif
6. Sheherazade: Ouverture de feerie: Modere
7. Menuet antique: Maestoso
8. Une Barque sur l'ocean: Tres souple de rythme
9. Fanfare du ballet - 'L'Eventail de Jeanne': Allegro moderato
10. La Valse: Poeme choregraphique: Mouvement de valse viennoise

Amazon.com

This two hours and 10 minutes of Ravel is a mixed bag. After a good-sounding, if not quite thrilling, Bolero, we get a wonderful Rapsodie Espagnole and a warm-hearted Pavane. The Valses nobles et sentimentales go by without a trace, and Daphnis et Chloé is a bit cool as well. CD two is much better. Le Tombeau is lively, and the other heavily scored orchestral works--Shéhérazade, Alborada del gracioso, La Valse, and three less-known pieces--are beautifully performed. As an intro to Ravel, this bargain can't be beat. Individually, though, there are better Boleros out there--Karajan's, for one. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

ABBADO EL MEJOR INTERPRETE DE RAVEL.......2001-10-15

La crítica aquí es sencilla. Claudio Abbado es el mejor interprete de la música de Ravel de todos los tiempos, sin lugar a la menor duda. Y ojo que quien escribe conoce interpretaciones de estas obras por célebres directores como: Munch, Toscanini, Karajan, Solti, Maazel, Paray, Bernstein, Monteux, Reiner, Boulez y Ormandy.

Abbado expresa todo lo sensual, mágico y sonoro de estas partituras. No hay donde perderse, comprar éste álbum es tener una de las mejores joyas de música orquestal que existe en el catálogo.

A fine Introduction to Ravel and excellent value.......2001-07-27

This is undoubtedly a superb collection of Ravel's orchestral works played by the London Symphony and the Boston Symphony Orchestras (only Daphis et Chloe is with Boston). The first thing I am struck by on repeated listenings is the splendid sound quality consistently throughout these recordings, always resonant and full, but also extremely well detailed. The playing is on the highest level with the possible exceptions of "Bolero" and "Valses nobles et sentimentales" which sound a bit less inspired to me than the rest of the collection. Not that they are poor interpretations, but rather they lack a certain sparkle that is present with the other works and hence my one star reduction. The keenest competition with this set comes from a similar two cd set with Charles Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony on Decca. The works represented on both sets are nearly identical (while Abbado includes the Sheherazade overture Dutoit includes the complete Ma Mere L'Oye), but Dutoit has a better "Bolero" and really sumptuous sound quality going for him. You could hardly go wrong with either set.

Average customer rating:

Orchestral Music Ravel , Monteux , Munch , Koussevitzky , and Cortot Manufacturer: Andante ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music San Francisco Symphony Orchestra | ( S ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Classical | Indie Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Debussy: Orchestral Music Wilhelm Furtwängler: Live Recordings 1944-1953 Borat - Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan (Widescreen Edition) The Departed (Two-Disc Special Edition) ASIN: B000066TXJ Release Date: 2002-05-07

Tracks:

1. Ma mhre l'oye, Suite: "Pavane de la belle au bois dormant"
2. Ma mhre l'oye, Suite: "Petit poucet"
3. Ma mhre l'oye, Suite: "Laideronnette, imperatrice des pagodes"
4. Ma mhre l'oye, Suite: "Les entretiens de la belle et de la bete"
5. Ma mhre l'oye, Suite: "Le jardin feerique"
6. Piano Concerto in G: I Allegramente
7. Piano Concerto in G: II Adagio assai
8. Piano Concerto in G: III Presto
9. Pavane pour une infante defunte
10. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 1: Nocturne
11. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 1: Interlude
12. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 1: Danse guerrihre
13. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Lever de jour
14. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Pantomime
15. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Danse genrale
16. Alborada del gracioso

Tracks:

1. Bolero
2. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prilude
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet
5. Le tombeau de Couperin Rigaudon
6. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere - Tres franc
7. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez lent
8. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez anime
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque lent
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Vif
12. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins vif
13. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Epilogue: Lent
14. Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
15. Bolero

Tracks:

1. La valse, poeme choreographique
2. Menuet antique
3. Claude Debussy (1862-1918) / (orchestration by Ravel): Sarabande from Pour le piano
4. Debussy (orchestration by Ravel): Sarabande from Pour le piano
5. Debussy (orchestration by Ravel): Danse from Pour le piano
6. Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit
7. Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena
8. Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera
9. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria
10. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
11. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
12. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
13. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
14. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
15. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
16. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
17. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
18. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
19. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
20. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
21. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
22. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
23. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an
24. Modest Mussorgsky (1839-1881) / (orchestration by Ravel): Pictures at an

Album Description

This three-CD set showcases Maurice Ravel's complete orchestral works in interpretations by some of his most persuasively idiomatic advocates from the 1920s through the 1940s, including conductors Pierre Monteux, Charles Munch and Serge Koussevitzky and pianists Alfred Cortot and Marguerite Long. Ravel himself conducts a rarely heard 1930 recording of his famed Boléro. The first volume in an andante survey of Ravel, this historic collection enables listeners to hear his orchestral works with a sound and sensibility in the tradition closest to the composer. The 96-page booklet features rarely seen photographs of Ravel and the performers, as well as an introduction by Pulitzer Prize-winner Tim Page, an essay by New York Times critic Paul Griffiths ("Orchestral Ravel: Cool Distance, Spectacular Brilliance") and detailed artist biographies from The New Grove Dictionary of Music and Musicians.

Track Listings:

1. Reinhard Schwarz-Schilling: Organ Works
2. Requiem for Kaza Kathárinna
3. Romantic Organ 4
4. Rosenfeld: Friedensgloria; Concerto No2
5. Scarlatti: Six Sonatas for Mandolin and Chitarra, Vol. 4
6. Schubert: Octet D803
7. Schubert: Works for Choir and Piano
8. Soirés für Werthers Lotte
9. Sonatas for Cellos
10. Songs of Ariel

Track Listings

track listings

Track Listings

Under Cover [Import]

Beethoven: The String Quartets, Op.18, No. 1 to 6

Bing Sings Whilst Bregman Swings [Gold CD]

Music: Wonder Kids: Really Silly Songs

Beat Goes On [Box set]

Best of James Brown

Captured [Live]

Beethoven: Famous Overtures

Barroom Hits Country Classics

Asi Soy Yo

Best of Unchained Series [Import]

Black Elk Speaks

Dancemania Bass V.9 [Import]

Albinoni: 12 Concerti a cinque Op. 5

Astra