Can there really
be any serious lover of classical music out there who does not
possess recordings of Bolero and Pictures? Well,
if there are, here’s another contender to add to your shortlist,
a list that could run to well over thirty versions. This has
a cheap price tag - as do quite a few others - but is not particularly
generous. It does, however, have the usual advantages from this
source, of superb recording quality and orchestral playing to
die for.
Even in a crowded
marketplace, Chailly and the Concertgebouw are always worth
listening to. As their legion of admirers (including myself)
know, Chailly’s ear for detail and sense of drama, coupled with
an orchestra of unique sonority and wealth of great individual
players, often make his recordings something of an event. This
mid-1980s recording was new to me, but a real pleasure to listen
to.
Bolero is
on the fast side and none the worse for it. Chailly is always
in complete control and things never sound rushed or scrappy.
The marvellously spacious sound captures all the necessary detail
of some gloriously characterful solo playing, the contours of
which unfold with an almost improvisatory feel. The trombonist
particularly enjoys himself – slides and all – and when those
Dutch strings finally enter the fray, it’s like the icing on
the cake.
Pictures
is similarly colourful and distinguished. Chailly plays with
the contrasts inherent in Ravel’s treatment of the orchestra
so that, for instance, the sheer richness of the lower strings
in ‘Samuel Goldenberg and Schmuyle’ is offset by the gentle
flexibility of ‘Tuileries’. ‘Bydlo’ opens and closes mournfully,
the chicks dance with dainty lightness. The grand peroration
of the ‘Great Gate of Kiev’ is truly resplendent, the brass
and tam-tam ending what is highly satisfying reading that never
becomes routine.
Ravel’s homages
to his friend Debussy make up a couple of little fillers, but
here buyers may feel the need to seek out something more substantial.
My own library favourite for Pictures has always been
Muti and the Philadelphia on EMI, coupled with a thrillingly
visceral Rite of Spring. There are a wide variety of
alternatives, many of them (such as Abbado’s excellent Berlin
disc on DG) coupling other Mussorgsky works to great effect.
But if you happen across this Eloquence re-issue and take a
chance, you won’t be disappointed.
Tony Haywood
Royal Concertgebouw
Orchestra/Riccardo Chailly
