Naxos seem to have
been featuring an increasing number
of French regional orchestras on their
recent releases. For this recording
of the complete Daphnis they
have turned to the Bordeaux orchestra.
One of Ravel’s finest
scores the ballet Daphnis et Chloé
was written to a commission from Serge
Diaghilev whose brilliant Ballets
russes were enjoying a immense success
during their first Paris season. The
impresario was enthusiastic to secure
new works for the following year from
leading French composers. Ravel started
work in June 1909, using an adaptation
of the ancient Greek tale by Longus,
which had been prepared by choreographer
Mikhail Fokine. Progress was erratic
and did not reach the stage for another
three years. Many choreographers have
been attracted to Daphnis; most
notably Sir Frederick Ashton with a
1951 adaptation for the distinguished
duo of Margot Fonteyn and Michael Somes.
Ravel described Daphnis
as a "symphonie choréographique"
though Diaghilev complained that it
was more "symphonique"
than "choréographique."
At a playing time of around 50 to 60
minutes, it is Ravel’s longest work.
He scored it for a large orchestra,
including a wide variety of percussion,
with a wordless mixed chorus, heard
both onstage and offstage.
The music had its greatest
success in concert and with recordings
of the two orchestral suites that Ravel
arranged, with only the minimum of changes,
from the full score:
• Suite d'orchestre
No.1: Nocturne, Interlude,
Danse guerrière.
• Suite d'orchestre No.2: Lever
du jour, Pantomime, Danse
générale/Bacchanale.
This Naxos recording of the complete
three-act ballet includes the significant
choral parts.
The opening Introduction
et danse réligieuse, is
gloriously atmospheric. Petitgirard
gradually builds up to a remarkable
intensity at 2:37 (track 1). The religious
dance rises to an impressive crescendo
between 7:48-8:01 (track 1). In the
scene Les jeunes filles attirent
Daphnis the girls amuse with a lively
and alluring dance. Dorcon's grotesque
dance in the score Daphnis s’approche
tendrement de Chloé is characterful
with a real sense of wretched awkwardness.
Daphnis’s dance for Chloé is
charming and sensual and the laughing
crowd is realistically portrayed at
5:54-5:59 (track 3). The wordless chorus
0:44-0:49 (track 4) is extremely effective
in the scene Les rires s’interrompent.
Temptress Lyceion and her dance of veils
is highly successful. The fearful rumbling
sounds of approaching conflict break
out at 3:20 (track 4) with the terrifying
appearance of the pirates. In Une
lumière irréelle enveloppe
le paysage we hear music of an eerie
and sinister character that pervades
the disturbing scene. The wordless chorus
that covers the scene-change in Derrière
la scene on entend des voix is superbly
performed with considerable vigour and
character.
In the opening scene
Animé et rude of the second
act the orchestra launches off with
terrifying force straight from the opening
bars. The Pirates busying themselves
with their plunder are fearsomely portrayed.
The scene Bryaxis ordonne d’amener
la captive is blissful and dreamy.
At 4:26-5:07 and 6:07-6:25 (track 8)
Petitgirard expertly shifts the gentle
mood to one of urgent excitement.
In the first scene,
Lever de jour in the third and
final act we hear love music of the
highest quality. The music to the scene
Le vieux berger Lammon is of
a more reflective nature, infused with
woodwind; especially from the flute
of Samuel Coles. In the final scene
I was struck by the confident and sturdy
playing, effortless changing from one
contrasting mood to another. Petitgirard,
after a gradual build-up at 2:50-3:51
(track 11), emphasises the wild and
voluptuous nature of the dizzily swirling
bacchanalian dance that provides a wonderful
conclusion to the score.
When selecting a complete
account of this ballet the deliciously
dramatic performance from Pierre Monteux
with the London Symphony Orchestra and
the Chorus of the Royal Opera House
on Decca goes straight to the very top
rank of recommended versions. Monteux
and his players prove to be in superb
form providing sumptuous playing in
familiar music for which they clearly
have a great affection. The sound quality
of this re-issue I found vivid and well
balanced, belying its near fifty years.
It has been reported to me that listening
tests do not show any obvious difference
in sound quality between this Monteux
re-issue and its original CD release.
Undoubtedly this was a very special
Kingsway Hall recording session, from
the spring of 1959, that caught Monteux’s
crack London orchestra in their most
inspired form, fully validating its
selection as one of their recently re-issued
‘Legendary Recording’ series on Decca
‘The Originals’ 475 7525. The couplings
of the Rapsodie espagnole and
Pavane add to the desirability
of this magnificent disc.
Close behind Monteux
on Decca is the evergreen 1950s account
from Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony
Orchestra on RCA 09026 61846-2. Munch
and his Boston players are in tremendous
form offering an electrifying performance
that is vitally dramatic and sharply
coloured. The recording is one of the
legendary RCA Living Stereo series and
has been remastered and re-issued on
a hybrid SACD 82876-61388-2.
The recently released
2004 Paris account from Myung-Whun Chung
and the Orchestre Philharmonique de
Radio France on Deutsche Grammophon
477 5706 does not inspire. Although
the disc has been well received in some
quarters I can find nothing remarkable
here. Chung’s warmly recorded performance
disappoints and pales greatly by comparison
with Monteux on Decca and Munch on RCA.
The reading from Chung lacks passion
and vitality, his chosen tempos seem
far too slow and he is never a serious
contender as a recommended version.
There is plenty to
enjoy here on this excellently performed
and recorded Naxos release. Keith Anderson
provides fine documentation, however,
many friends have commented that the
small type is getting really difficult
to read. Recorded in 2002 at the Franklin
Hall in Bordeaux the engineers have
supplied warm, vivid and well balanced
sound quality. Conductor, orchestra
and chorus may be unfamiliar names to
many but don’t be put off. They make
beautiful music and prove more than
a match for many of the better known
competition in this score, such as:
Dutoit on Decca; Nagano on Erato; Rattle
on EMI Classics; Tortelier on Chandos
and Ozawa on Deutsche Grammophon Entrée.
This superb Naxos release
will sit comfortably on the shelf alongside
my treasured versions from Monteux on
Decca and Munch on RCA.
Michael Cookson
Bordeaux Opera Chorus 
