There are few Ravel orchestral compilations – at any price – that could hold a candle to this one. And most of the Mehta material appears on CD for the first time. A wilder ‘La Valse’, a more erotic ‘Daphnis et Chloé’ with its orgiastic finale you’d be hard-pressed to find! And what a magical finale there is to ‘Ma mère l’Oye’. Monteux, legendary for his French music, conducts a gleaming ‘Rapsodie Espagnole’.
MAURICE RAVEL
Boléro
Daphnis et Chloé: Suite No. 2
Ma mère l’Oye: Suite
La Valse
Los Angeles Master Chorale
Roger Wagner, director
Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra
Zubin Mehta
Rapsodie Espagnole
London Symphony Orchestra
Pierre Monteux
‘the visceral excitement Mehta produces is most compelling … one marvels at the vivid Decca sound’ Penguin Guide to CDs (2000 Yearbook)
‘opulence and sensuality [Daphnis] … ‘La Valse’ simply smokes’ ClassicsToday.com
‘of the highest quality … sumptuous recording’ Répertoire