Favorite Ravel Recordings

[Maciek]

You have to read the page the link leads to, not the address of the link itself.



(It's a downloadable recording of the Ravel Violin Sonata.)

[Scarpia]

You have to read the page the link leads to, not the address of the link itself.



(It's a downloadable recording of the Ravel Violin Sonata.)

Your link was to a blog with reference to and photographs of pony tails.  There may be a link to some Ravel buried there, but I did not see it.

[Maciek]

 

(Your loss.)

[ccar]

                                                 

It may seem redundant somehow to use period instruments in music as recent as the 1920's, yet the sound is different, sort of like 78's without the scratches...

Prompted by this post,  I also checked my shelves for some "historically informed period recordings" of Ravel. And, perhaps much more interesting, I found we may even look not only for the Ravel "HIP" (the famous acronym for the revered 'historically informed performances') but probably for a new brand of musicological theory - the 'composer informed performances' or "CIP".  Actually, many "HIP-CIP" recordings were produced under Ravel's own guidance or with artists very much involved with his work. And some of these were recently issued in a magnificent 3 set compilation by Cascavelle – "Maurice Ravel, Son oeuvre et son temp".

Personally, I cannot easily accept as a dogma that the composer has the only and absolute vision about the performance of his work. Ravel was humble enough to recognize some of his piano pieces needed "a better pianist than himself". In fact, some of the piano rolls with his music and performances were probably shared with Robert Casadesus  ...  I do believe any great creative artwork must have more than an "historically informed" reproducing capacity – certainly it has the imprint of its maker and the cultural context of its creation; but it also has in itself a richness and a multitude of perspectives that can be revived and enlightened by the reading of an inspired interpreter.     

But, coming back to the spirit of the HIP-CIP recordings, the Cascavelle compilations may be a must for any "historically faithful" Ravel fan.


                         

[dirkronk]

I saw reference to pony tails, no reference to Ravel.   

Scarpia: see if this link direct to the download area works for you...
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=ae435c50e83b0e400c814df2efeadc508121ddde8a05114fe91dc00c2f906379

[Scarpia]

Scarpia: see if this link direct to the download area works for you...
http://www.mediafire.com/?sharekey=ae435c50e83b0e400c814df2efeadc508121ddde8a05114fe91dc00c2f906379

That does the trick, thanks!

[Maciek]

Sure, go ahead, promote illiteracy on an internet message board!

[Mandryka]

Galimir Quartet must be  HIP in Ravel

[mjwal]

I think the Galimir may be fine for Berg, Mandryka (though admittedly I have heard none of their recordings) - but for Ravel they are surely too Viennese in style and instruments? The Capet are the perfect HIP Ravel and Debussy quartet (I have them coupled on an EMI Références LP) - the Ravel is here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M1d4N60d6Oc&feature=related
I've been away a while, so have just perused this thread and found you citing the Ravel pianism of a certain Yvonne Lefèvre - the lady you mean is Yvonne Lefébure, I believe, also excellent in Fauré and Debussy but a trifle too Gallic in Beethoven, perhaps. Pity she recorded so little Ravel.
Other favourite Ravel recordings: Shéhérazade done by Victoria de los Angeles w/Monteux, Danco and Crespin w/Ansermet; Kondrashin's icily modernistic Rapsodie Espagnole w/Junge Deutsche Philharmonie (on same CD as Zender's disconcerting "orchestration" of Schumann's Op.17); Szigeti's unique take on the violin sonata w/Bussotti. In Daphnis et Chloe I prefer Ansermet or Munch to the Boulez/BPO, which lacks something to my ears - a soupcon of Art Nouveau neo-Grecian erotic languor, je ne sais quoi...But returning to Berlin for the colder season I happened to hear Aimard/Boulez' new Concerto pour la main gauche on the radio - and was very impressed. Pretty hard-core, in fact, très moderne, sounded a bit like la fin de l'histoire to me...

[Clever Hans]

This one received tons of awards

[Luke]

Are they the only pieces on the CD, those two? Bit stingy with the couplings, if so....ah no, I'm checking at Amazon, see the Duo Sonata is on there too - that's better! The Capucon/Capucon/Braley recording is mostly superb in these 3 works, and also has the early violin sonata movement, which makes a nice addition. There's so much competition in these pieces, and no one single stip to plug all the holes - the Chantal Juillet disc I mentioned earlier is a great one to go for in that it feautres all the pieces he wrote featuring solo violin - the sonatas, the smaller pieces, Tzigane (complete with lutheal) and the Duo Sonata, but the Trio isn't on there of course...

[Guido]

I'm so glad that the Left Handed Piano concerto gets so much love here... (it may be my single favourite piano concerto... hmmm no, there's Barber and Bartok and Brahms 2 to consider! But up there!) I prefer it so much to the two handed one (which to me is one of the only pieces which warrants the thing that Ravel gets accused of - just surface sparkle, charm, gaiety, dazzling orchestral colour... It's amazing at this, but I have never warmed to it. The slow movement does wonderfully court the sentiment/sentimentality line that I find so fascinating however)

[Daverz]

[Scarpia]

Following someone's suggestion somewhere around here, I did end up getting a copy of Dutoit's Daphnis et Chloe.  Better than I was expecting, but not as good as the hype would lead you to believe, in my opinion.  Very well played and recorded, but it strikes me as being a bit "generic," lacking in the unique style and timbre of the old French Orchestras. 

[Mirror Image]

Following someone's suggestion somewhere around here, I did end up getting a copy of Dutoit's Daphnis et Chloe.  Better than I was expecting, but not as good as the hype would lead you to believe, in my opinion.  Very well played and recorded, but it strikes me as being a bit "generic," lacking in the unique style and timbre of the old French Orchestras.

Do you actually like anything? All you ever do is complain about recordings. Sometimes you're spot on with your assessments, but not this time. This Dutoit recording lives up to its hype. It's one of the best ever recorded and that seems to be the general consensus not just on this thread from other Ravel fans, but from critics and fans worldwide.

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (primarily a French orchestra) lacks the unique style and timbre of the "old" French orchestras? Are you kidding me? This orchestra has been around since the mid-30s. Perhaps they aren't as "old" as some orchestras in France, but this orchestra isn't some fly-by-night orchestra. They have already proven to the world that they're a world-class orchestra and Dutoit did a fantastic job building this orchestra's reputation during his tenure there.

In summary, what it sounds like to me is that you have a hard time admitting that other people are right. You have to find some kind of criticism that doesn't even remotely relate to the recording and use that as way to fool people into thinking you know what you're talking about when the sad reality is you don't know anything at all.

To label Dutoit's recording of Daphnis et Chloe as "generic" simply shows that you haven't heard enough recordings of Ravel's masterpiece to warrant such an ignorant outlook of this, otherwise, widely acclaimed recording.

[Sid]

I'd say Dutoit is pretty good as well, especially with this kind of repertoire. I haven't heard his Ravel, but have got a two disc set on Decca of him & the Montreal playing Debussy's main works. I've been listening to this music for more than 20 years, and I think he does a good job. Yes, his Debussy (particularly Jeux) is much lighter than someone like Boulez, perhaps it is not as 'full bodied' or something, but it definitely isn't lacking in anything compared to that either, imo...

[Scarpia]

Do you actually like anything? All you ever do is complain about recordings. Sometimes you're spot on with your assessments, but not this time. This Dutoit recording lives up to its hype. It's one of the best ever recorded and that seems to be the general consensus not just on this thread from other Ravel fans, but from critics and fans worldwide.

The Montreal Symphony Orchestra (primarily a French orchestra) lacks the unique style and timbre of the "old" French orchestras? Are you kidding me? This orchestra has been around since the mid-30s. Perhaps they aren't as "old" as some orchestras in France, but this orchestra isn't some fly-by-night orchestra. They have already proven to the world that they're a world-class orchestra and Dutoit did a fantastic job building this orchestra's reputation during his tenure there.

In summary, what it sounds like to me is that you have a hard time admitting that other people are right. You have to find some kind of criticism that doesn't even remotely relate to the recording and use that as way to fool people into thinking you know what you're talking about when the sad reality is you don't know anything at all.

To label Dutoit's recording of Daphnis et Chloe as "generic" simply shows that you haven't heard enough recordings of Ravel's masterpiece to warrant such an ignorant outlook of this, otherwise, widely acclaimed recording.

I can see why you have been banned on so many other sites.   

[Scarpia]

I'd say Dutoit is pretty good as well, especially with this kind of repertoire. I haven't heard his Ravel, but have got a two disc set on Decca of him & the Montreal playing Debussy's main works. I've been listening to this music for more than 20 years, and I think he does a good job. Yes, his Debussy (particularly Jeux) is much lighter than someone like Boulez, perhaps it is not as 'full bodied' or something, but it definitely isn't lacking in anything compared to that either, imo...

The comparison I make is not with Boulez, who I don't think has a particularly magical way with Debussy or Ravel.   I would be with Orchestre de la Société du Conservatoire Paris under Cluytens, or l'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande under Ansermet.  Maybe the Martinon recordings from the 70's preserve a bit of that.  It is not that I think the Dutoit does a bad job.  Probably in the 80's his recordings were as "French" as any recordings made at the same time.  They just don't have the same unique character as the older recordings.  One of the great conductors working in those days was Baudo, and I wish he had made more recordings.

[Sid]

Scarpia, you seem to know your stuff regarding this topic. I too enjoy Ansermet in the modern repertoire. He was a good conductor. I've only got Baudo doing the Dutilleux concerto with Rostropovich, and it's great. I haven't heard much Cluytens. But the conductor doesn't necessarily have to be French to have a good rapport with the music, imo. I've got Rozdesventzky and Rattle recordings of Daphnis, and I think they do a good job, particularly the former. When I got these cd's, I used to listen to them to death, so now I hardly do, I'm a bit jaded by this piece. But along with Jeux and The Rite of Spring, it was one of the finest ballets coming out of the pre-WW1 period...

[Mirror Image]

I can see why you have been banned on so many other sites.   

I can see why you continue to have no ear for Ravel's music.