Designed and compiled
with an eye on the children’s market,
hence the rubric File under
Children’s Music, this is an eye-catching
release from Sanctuary - Snakes and
Ladders in blue and yellow. It revisits
the ASV back catalogue to mine Bátiz’s
Mexico City recordings of Bizet, Dukas
and Liadov and the same conductor’s
Tchaikovsky with the RPO. Marriner chips
in with Fauré’s Dolly Suite in
the Rabaud orchestration and there are
some delightful miniatures from diverse
sources to complete the programme.
Obviously the recorded
world is hardly lacking in recordings
of The Nutcracker or of The
Sorcerer’s Apprentice but judicious
repackaging of the back catalogue is
part of the business and this has been
pleasurably done in this instance, serving
its ostensible brief well. I’m not going
to pretend that any of these recordings
is a front-runner, when clearly they’re
not, but the ensemble package is a sportive
idea and if it encourages someone to
take a chance and introduce The Musical
Box to an inquisitive child then
I’m all for it.
Bátiz directs
a pleasing Jeux d’enfants. There’s
nothing especially distinctive about
it in terms of orchestral sonority or
pacing, except that perhaps the finale,
the Gallop, whilst strongly accented
is a touch fast for my taste. The highlight
is probably Lullaby, which is commendably
attractive and not over succulent. The
Dukas could do with some more bite but
the RPO Tchaikovsky is well sprung and
particularly well recorded. The flautists
are on song in the Danse chinoise
and the violas and cellos sing out warmly
in the Valse des fleurs. Altogether
this is a warm, un-egocentric and musical
account that will give pleasure. Marriner’s
Dolly Suite doesn’t put a foot
wrong when it comes to matters of articulation
and tempo, nor indeed to string tone.
This is relaxed and expressive music
making. At a couple of points Marriner
urges a greater weight of string expression
– in Berceuse and Tendresse
– and that’s just enough to inject
a frisson into the performance.
The three more contemporary
pieces are a particular pleasure. Yes
we all know the Milhaud but children
won’t. But you may not know Mourant’s
The Pied Piper, a graceful and
winning four and a half minute workout
for the clarinet. Or indeed Marisa Robles’
Themes for Narnia, which has
an almost hypnotically evocative curve.
Rather a specialised
disc then, for a particular niche market.
Luckily the performances are never less
than good and the recording quality
consistently excellent. As an example
of targeted repackaging it makes a strong
case.
Jonathan Woolf
Mexico City Philharmonic Orchestra/Enrique Bátiz*
