Jean Martinon (1910-76) was not only a successful conductor but also an accomplished composer and his musical intuition and fine ear for detail is evident at every turn in these recordings. This release will achieve cult status, as did the original recordings, made in 1958 (Massenet, Meyerbeer) and 1959 (Dvorak). The French works were recorded by the legendary Decca producer John Culshaw and for those not familiar with this music, it is scintillating, charming, tuneful and, despite the age of the recordings, sonically thrilling. Likewise, Martinon and the LSO inject plenty of verve into the Slavonic Dances (originally recorded by Decca for RCA at a time when the two companies had a mutual arrangement).
ANTONIN DVORAK
Slavonic Dance, Op. 46
Slavonic Dance, Op. 72 No. 1
JULES MASSENET
Le Cid: Ballet music
GIACOMO MEYERBEER
Les Patineurs: ballet music
London Symphony Orchestra [Dvorak]
Israel Philharmonic Orchestra [Massenet, Meyerbeer]
Jean Martinon
The Penguin Guide to Compact Discs & DVDs (2005/6 Edition) awards this recording three stars and a ROSETTE, and writes:
‘an exuberantly vivacious collection of the Slavonic Dances … full, warm sound from 1959’ [Dvorak]
‘In Martinon’s hands, Massenet’s tunes fizz and effervesce like the best champagne … Equally remarkable is the astonishingly vivid Decca recording, the sort of brilliant yet warm sound for which the company became famous, and it is superbly transferred to CD.’ [Massenet]
‘the CD transfer is superb … no less astonishing is the quality of the playing, with Martinon inducing the Israeli orchestra to catch the full inflexion of the French ballet style: the performance overflows with colour, and the tunes come tumbling out, bursting with joie de vivre.’ [Meyerbeer]
‘An exuberantly vivacious collection of the Slavonic Dances … in Martinon’s hands, Massenet’s tunes fizz and effervesce like the best champagne … the performances overflow with colour, and the tunes come tumbling out, bursting with joie de vivre’ Rosette Award, Penguin Guide
‘70 minutes of continuous, toe-tapping pleasure. Martinon’s performances are lively and lovely … the sound is full and rich, bright and clear’ Fanfare
‘deft and infectively vivacious … overflowing with colour and energy … extremely enjoyable listening’ ClassicsToday.com