Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (2024)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (1)

Home | Hi-Fi Audio Reviews | Audiophile Shows | Partner Mags | News Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (3) Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (4) Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (5)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (6)
Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (7)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (8) High-Performance Audio Reviews
Music News, Show Reports, And More!

29 Years Of Service To Music Lovers

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (9)

Maurice Ravel
Daphnis and Chloe (Complete Ballet)
James Levine conducting the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus

Maurice Ravel
Daphnis and Chloe (Complete Ballet)
Francis Poulenc
Gloria
Jessica Rivera (soprano), Bernard Haitink conducting the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and Chorus

Review By Max Westler
Click here to e-mail reviewer

Ravel once calledDebussy's Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun "one of the few miracles in thehistory of music," but surely his own Daphnis and Chloe is no less miraculous.Written for Diaghilev's Ballet Russes and premiered in 1912 (the year before thesame company gave us The Rite of Spring), Ravel scored the work for a hugeorchestra (employing both a wind machine and a wordless chorus) that he thenused for an incredibly wide variety of expressive and sonic effects. Later hecalled it "a choreographic symphony," "a vast musical fresco," but in fact thereare no words to properly describe Daphnis and Chloe: almost a hundred yearsafter its premiere, it remains a unique creation, truly one of a kind.

The two performances of this music that Charles Munch and theBoston Symphony Orchestra recorded for RCA in 1955 and 1962 have so completelydominated the competition that it's easy to forget how many other distinguishedperformances were recorded during that same period and how few have beenrecorded since. Though Munch early and late both deserve their reputations, itwould take a less sybaritic disposition than my own to have resisted the diversepleasures of Pierre Monteux (who conducted the premiere), Leonard Bernstein,Andre Cluytens, Ernest Ansermet, and (a little later) Jean Martinon.

Since that "golden age," it's been pretty much adrought, and those in search of a modern recording of the score have been forcedto choose between performances that are well wrought, but unfeeling (Abbado) andthose that are altogether clueless (Rattle). At the time, Charles Dutoit'sMontreal recording was highly regarded, but it seems clear now that was mostlybecause of the sound--it was one of the first digital releases one could listento without cringing. The performance is, like so much of Dutoit's work, suave,sophisticated, and entirely unmagical. Of the two Boulez recordings, I preferhis first, mostly for the virtuosic playing of the New York Philharmonic. Theremake with the Berlin Philharmonic might indeed be an improvement, but it's sobrightly recorded that it's hard to listen to without squinting. In this score,as in so many others, Boulez is perfect at rendering correct pitch, timbre, andintonation; at the same time, his literal mindedness pretty much bleaches outany trace of spontaneity or genuine feeling. If one is looking for a recentversion in state of the art sound, I favorably reviewedMyung-Whun Chung's recording with DGG last year and I would still standby that recommendation. But I'm now happy to welcome these two new recordings,both of which are competitive with the best in terms of both performance andsound.

Both Haitink and Levine have recorded this work before (Levinewith the Vienna Philharmonic, Haitink with the Boston Symphony), but neither ofthose performances achieves the same level of excellence as these new ones.It was certainly a fascinating and instructive experience listening to the two,for they couldn't be more different in every way. The choice here is betweenLevine's youthful Romantic approach and Haitink's cooler, more refinedclassicism. If I could only have one of these recordings, I'd probably go withthe Levine. His version is more theatrical, athletic, and (like Chung) he shapesthe individual episodes with greater character. There's also more juice in thefaster music.

But the Chicago performance also has its virtues, and they areconsiderable. Haitink's ear for balances gives Ravel's lush textures an uttertransparency, a luminous, shimmering clarity, in which every note registers itsfull expressive effect. Though unhurried, Haitink's approach is surprisinglysensual and atmospheric for an octogenarian, and he does an even better job thanLevine in evoking the dream-like languor of Ravel's Grecian idyll. A specialistin the music of Bruckner and Mahler, Haitink is used to organizing largeorchestral works. Here he takes the symphonic nature of the score seriously, andfollows a single line of development from its barely audible first notes to anorgiastic climax that is every bit as exciting as Levine's (and maybe even moreso for having been so carefully anticipated). Besides, Poulenc's Gloria,perhaps the composer's greatest orchestral work, is a substantial bonus, andHaitink deftly balances the mix of wise guy insouciance and profound reverencethat gives this music its essential and very distinct character. In thefinal "Quid Sedes," soprano Jessica Rivera sings with a pure tone and areverential tenderness that are just what the music calls for.

The Boston and Chicago are two of our greatest orchestras, andthey realize their respective conductors' visions of the ballet with acombination of breathtaking virtuosity and unforced naturalness that is all themore impressive given that both performances were recorded live. The chorusesalso contribute brilliantly, but (not surprisingly) are used to differenteffect. For Levine, the chorus is more prominent, assertive: there's always asense of dialogue between chorus and orchestra. For Haitink, the chorus isrecessed, otherworldly, more a part of the orchestral fabric. The recordings areboth spectacular, but also very different: with Levine, you have a seat in theorchestra, and the sound is immediate and forceful. With Haitink, you're in theupper balcony, a more distant perspective that conjures up a very wide andconvincing soundstage.

Given how few acceptable modern recordings we have of thismusic, it seems an embarrassment of riches to have two such good ones releasedalmost simultaneously.

Though I have showed a slight preference for Levine, in effectyou can't go wrong with either of these superb performances. And if you lovethis irresistible music as much as I do, you'll be perfectly happy to live withboth.

Performance:

Levine: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (11)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (12)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (13)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (14)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (15)

Haitink: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (16)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (17)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (18)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (19)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (20)

Enjoyment:

Levine: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (21)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (22)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (23)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (24)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (25)

Haitink: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (26)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (27)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (28)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (29)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (30)

Sound:

Levine: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (31)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (32)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (33)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (34)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (35)

Haitink: Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (36)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (37)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (38)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (39)Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (40)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (41)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (42)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (43)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (44)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (45)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (46)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (47)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (48)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (49)

Two superb -- and very different -- recordings of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe, both in great sound. Review By Max Westler (2024)
Top Articles
Latest Posts
Recommended Articles
Article information

Author: Van Hayes

Last Updated:

Views: 6324

Rating: 4.6 / 5 (66 voted)

Reviews: 89% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Van Hayes

Birthday: 1994-06-07

Address: 2004 Kling Rapid, New Destiny, MT 64658-2367

Phone: +512425013758

Job: National Farming Director

Hobby: Reading, Polo, Genealogy, amateur radio, Scouting, Stand-up comedy, Cryptography

Introduction: My name is Van Hayes, I am a thankful, friendly, smiling, calm, powerful, fine, enthusiastic person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.