CD REVIEW: First Review of Debussy CD Is In!
Webzine Classics Today. com and reviewer Victor Carr Jr. beats everybody else to the punch with this excellent review of the Cincinnati Symphony's new Debussy CD!
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Nocturnes; La mer; Berceuse heroique
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi
Telarc- 80617(CD)
Reference Recording - Boulez (DG); Martinon (EMI)
ARTISTIC QUALITY 9/SOUND QUALITY 9
"Tonal beauty is the overriding principle in these Debussy performances as Paavo Järvi draws gorgeous sounds from the Cincinnati Symphony. Strings shimmer throughout La Mer, while woodwinds flutter about like so many butterflies--effects most pronounced in Jeux de vagues. Järvi takes to heart Debussy's description of the work as a suggestion of the sea, coloring everything in pastel shades and treating the brass as accents in the sonic picture, not the bold declamations that other conductors have done. Percussion receives similar treatment, with the quieter moments more pronounced than the loud. The tam-tam appears in the background at the close of From Dawn to Noon on the Sea, allowing the striking and rarely-heard bass pizzicatos (real "slaps") to emerge from the texture. Some listeners may prefer a more extrovert approach, but Järvi's subtler way is just as valid. And make no mistake, there's still plenty of punch in his performance, especially in Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea.
"In Nocturnes Järvi achieves that rare balance of tempo and timbre that creates Nuages' hypnotic effect--no time seems to have passed by the movement's end. The slightly understated brass in Fêtes evokes the atmospheric flashes Debussy was after--but most remarkable is Sirènes, where Järvi's fluid motion, combined with the orchestra's lively playing and the soothing chant of the wordless chorus evokes an atmosphere of almost palpable pleasure.
"You really don't want it to end, but it does, followed by a sparkling rendition of Debussy's poignant Berceuse heroique, which I would program not last, but second, after Järvi's luscious yet delicate Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The sound is typical of Telarc's Cincinnati recordings: solid presence and realism, with wide dynamic range--qualities that only reveal themselves at high playing levels. Boulez and the neighboring Clevelanders still hold the palm for La Mer, but Järvi's disc is a fine achievement in its own right, especially for the Nocturnes, one that I suspect will sound even finer on SACD."
CLAUDE DEBUSSY
Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun; Nocturnes; La mer; Berceuse heroique
Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra
Paavo Järvi
Telarc- 80617(CD)
Reference Recording - Boulez (DG); Martinon (EMI)
ARTISTIC QUALITY 9/SOUND QUALITY 9
"Tonal beauty is the overriding principle in these Debussy performances as Paavo Järvi draws gorgeous sounds from the Cincinnati Symphony. Strings shimmer throughout La Mer, while woodwinds flutter about like so many butterflies--effects most pronounced in Jeux de vagues. Järvi takes to heart Debussy's description of the work as a suggestion of the sea, coloring everything in pastel shades and treating the brass as accents in the sonic picture, not the bold declamations that other conductors have done. Percussion receives similar treatment, with the quieter moments more pronounced than the loud. The tam-tam appears in the background at the close of From Dawn to Noon on the Sea, allowing the striking and rarely-heard bass pizzicatos (real "slaps") to emerge from the texture. Some listeners may prefer a more extrovert approach, but Järvi's subtler way is just as valid. And make no mistake, there's still plenty of punch in his performance, especially in Dialogue of the Wind and the Sea.
"In Nocturnes Järvi achieves that rare balance of tempo and timbre that creates Nuages' hypnotic effect--no time seems to have passed by the movement's end. The slightly understated brass in Fêtes evokes the atmospheric flashes Debussy was after--but most remarkable is Sirènes, where Järvi's fluid motion, combined with the orchestra's lively playing and the soothing chant of the wordless chorus evokes an atmosphere of almost palpable pleasure.
"You really don't want it to end, but it does, followed by a sparkling rendition of Debussy's poignant Berceuse heroique, which I would program not last, but second, after Järvi's luscious yet delicate Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun. The sound is typical of Telarc's Cincinnati recordings: solid presence and realism, with wide dynamic range--qualities that only reveal themselves at high playing levels. Boulez and the neighboring Clevelanders still hold the palm for La Mer, but Järvi's disc is a fine achievement in its own right, especially for the Nocturnes, one that I suspect will sound even finer on SACD."
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