Ravel: Boléro; Miroirs

1. Boléro, ballet for orchestra (or piano)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

2. Miroirs, for piano (or orchestra) Une barque sur l'océan
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

3. Menuet antique, for piano (or orchestra)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

4. Miroirs, for piano (or orchestra) Alborada del gracioso
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra with Sherman Walt
Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

5. Pavane pour une infante défunte, for piano (or orchestra)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra with Charles Kavalovski
Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

6. La valse, poème choréographique for orchestra (or piano)
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Boston Symphony Orchestra Conducted by Seiji Ozawa

Ravel: Boléro; Miroirs,Sherman Walt,Maurice Ravel,Seiji Ozawa,Charles Kavalovski,Boston Symphony Orchestra,Polygram Records,20th/21st Century Orchestral Music,Classical,Classical Music,Keyboard,Keyboard Work with Descriptive or Unclassified Title,Minuet for Keyboard,Orchestral,Pavane for Keyboard

Average customer rating: Simply wonderful! quiet time reorganization of the mind Sumptuous You never have enough Ravel - just never. The Best of Ravel By Master Conductor And Orchestra

Ravel: Boléro Manufacturer: Decca ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Dutoit, Laurence | ( D ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka / Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Chicago Symphony Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue - Piano Concerto in F - An American in Paris Debussy: La Mer Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade/Capriccio Espagnol Tchaikovsky: Concerto No. 1/Rachmaninoff: Concerto No. 2 ASIN: B00002MXMX Release Date: 1999-11-09

Tracks:

1. Bolero
2. Alborada del gracioso
3. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): Prelude
4. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 1 Tableau: Andse du rouet et Scene
5. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 2 Tableau: Pavane de la Belle du bois dormant
6. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 3 Tableau: Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete
7. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 4 Tableau: Petit Poucet
8. Ma Mere I'Oye (Complete Ballet): 5 Tableau: Laideronette, Imperatrice des pagodes
9. Une Barque sur l'ocean
10. Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit - Malaguena - Habanera - Feria

Tracks:

1. La Valse
2. Pavane pour une infante defunte
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prelude
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet
6. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon
7. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere - Assez lent
8. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Modere - Assez anime
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque lent - Azzez vif
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins vif - Epilogue
11. Menuet antique
12. Fanfare pour 'L'Eventail de Jeanne
13. Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Lever du jour
14. Daphnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Pantomime
15. Dapnis et Chloe (Suite No. 2): Danse generale

Customer Reviews:

Simply wonderful!.......2007-01-09

If you are a music buff like myself ( and I do like all kinds of music ), than what's not to like about The Boléro, by Ravel? And I don't buy into that hog-wash of a story that Ravel wrote this piece in the beginning of dementia...gimmie a break and give that man credit where credit is due.....The Boléro is a master piece! Ok...my review: It was a pleasure to shop for this Cd on Amazon ( after a disappointing search in a main music store )I found what I was looking for, ordered it and anxiously waited it's delivery, which was only about 5 days. The Cd was delivered in tip-top shape and I have enjoyed repeated plays of The Boléro! ( if it were an LP, the grooves would have been worn down by now! ) Today...it's back to classic rock for me. I would surely order from Amazon again!

quiet time reorganization of the mind.......2007-01-05

Have listened to this over the years from a teen who couldn't understand why anyone would write something so slow and repetitive, to a young married who now understood a vehicle for passion in a world filled with disraction, to a person who hears the joy and passion and struggles of a composer and appreciates the pain as a growth process for humans. Tenderly,hot,good stuff.More please.

Sumptuous.......2007-01-04

To heck with arguments about Elvis, Chuck Berry, Bill Haley, etc. Ravel's Bolero was the first ever piece of rock music, so there. This version by Dutoit and the Montreal Symphony totally nails it, always been my favorite version. The trick is to not let things get over the top as the intensity heightens. Flawless readings of the Rapsodie Espagnole and La Valse to boot makes this an essential disc. This is all the evidence you need that Charles Dutoit is the greatest living Ravel interpreter.

You never have enough Ravel - just never........2006-01-15

This two disk set is one of those that you should add to your collection because it is wonderful music, sounds great, and is extremely affordable. Everyone knows and loves "Boléro". Commissioned by Ida Rubinstein as a ballet and premiered in 1928 was not a musical success. At another performance, led by Toscanini, Ravel complained that the tempo was too fast. Toscanini replied that it was the only way to save the work. But it soon became a mass success to Ravel's surprise and consternation. He felt they loved it for all the wrong reasons. The violinist Hélène Jourdan-Morhange relates this interesting story of one incident involving the work:

"Ravel was extremely surprised at the mass success of "Boléro" `They're going to turn it into another "Madelon", he said, rather crossly; and deep down he felt that the obsessive, musico-sexual element in the piece was probably behind its enormous popularity. But one old lady was proof against the contagion. Ravel's brother Edouard saw her, at the first performance, wedged tightly in her seat shouting above the applause `Rubbish! Rubbish!' Maurice, when informed by his brother, replied mysteriously: `That Old Lady got the message!'" from Ravel et nous 1945 page 166.

The other works on this disk are more substantive than the 15-minute crescendo and its constantly changing orchestral colors. The entire "Mother Goose" ballet - who doesn't love this? Although you usually here it performed as the suite. The "Rhapsodie Espagnol" is a favorite and delivers that wonderful Spanish flavor with a French sauce.

"Le tombeau de Couperin" and "Valses nobles et sentimentale" are orchestrations of major piano works (with some alterations in the tombeau) (there are other pieces on these disks that also began as piano works) that are probably more well known to the general public as orchestral works. However, they are very essential works in the pianist's repertoire, and I encourage you to get to know them in that form as well.

"La Valse" is really two things. There is a tribute to Johann Strauss. Ravel admitted that every composer wanted to write a very good waltz, but that it was very difficult. So, he wrote this symphonic waltz as a tribute. However, the second half is something else, is it not? There is decadence and a madness to it that seems like a nightmare to me. As if we are all trapped in this thing until everything falls apart with pain and loss into nothing. A fascinating piece.

There are other small and popular pieces on this disk that are all done well.

Recommended!

The Best of Ravel By Master Conductor And Orchestra.......2005-11-10

French-Canadian conductor Charles Dutoit and the Motneral Symphony Orchestra deliver what is the most musically satisfying collection of Ravel Bolero's French music. At a fine price, this is a fine jewel, with moments that sparkle and burn with a beautiful fire. The first track is of course the famous Bolero, with its hypnotic, singular theme that is expanded into a climatic crescendo which is overtly sexual, primal and sensuous. It was originally a ballet about a Spanish dancer (dancing the bolero of course) in a bawdy cafe. She is spurred on to dance even more erotically by the lusty men until we can assume the men can take no more. The Rhapsody Espagnole is an evocative portrait of Spain, with lyrical passages and tonal beauty. The Valse is another classic of French music of the early 20th century. Ravel's mother had died prior to the premiere. It is a slow, romantic waltz that escalates into a frenzied dance of death. In musical terms, there is nothing too different from La Valse and Bolero. They are both basically one motif that is repeated but changes in volume and pacing. The Pavane For A Dead Princess is my favorite work of his. It is possibly the most gorgeous funeral music one will ever hear. Far from being a melancholy piece, it is a stately, Renaissance-like work that pays homage to exoticism of the East and Romanticism of the West. The Dead Princess we assume is either Moorish or Spanish and the music is lilting and spiritual without ever reaching the heights of frustration or despair that Bolero or Valse take on. The Tomb of Couperin is also a funereal piece but its beauty lies in its imitation of Baroque music. Couperin was a Baroque composer of keyboard works. The music is aptly called neo-baroque or neoclassical since it was composed in the 20th century. This same style is embedded in Valses Nobles Et Sentimentales and Minuet Antique- all works that reflect the music of the Baroque and classical eras, an homage to Handel and Gluck. Daphne Et Cloe is perhaps his most ambitious work, as it expands on the Baroque classic and makes it more operatic and orchestrally grander. All fans of Ravel will want to own this recording. Dutoit knows this music down to a T and the orchestra captures nuance and subtlety in a variety of both light and dark textures. The music is brimming with life and the sound is crisp and beautifully remastered.

Average customer rating: Ravels Greatest hits

Ravel: Greatest Hits Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $6.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Opera & Vocal | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Debussy's Greatest Hits Sergei Rachmaninoff: Greatest Hits Saint-Saëns: Greatest Hits Grieg: Greatest Hits Liszt: Greatest Hits ASIN: B000002A27 Release Date: 1994-08-09

Tracks:

1. Bolero
2. Pavane For A Dead Princess
3. Alborada Del Gracioso
4. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon
6. La Valse
7. Piece In The Form Of A Habanera
8. Mother Goose Suite: The Fairy Garden
9. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Daybreak
10. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Pantomime
11. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: General Dance

Customer Reviews:

Ravels Greatest hits.......2007-07-20

Listen to the genuis of Ravel on a clean sounding recording that you can enjoy time and time again without deterioration.Be advised the recording levels are not dampened so dinner guests and headset wearers will certainly be awokened especially at the end of Bolero.If you listen closely the music pages can be heard turning ,nice sense of being there ,get the cd they dont make em like this anymore.

Average customer rating: Bolero Exercise in orchestration.

Ravel: Boléro Manufacturer: Telarc ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music $7.99 and Under | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music All Classical Music Blowout | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Composers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra | ( C ) | Performers, A-Z | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music Instrumental | Classical Music Blowout | Stores | Music ASIN: B000003CUZ Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

1. Alborado Del Gracioso
2. I. Prelude A La Nuit
3. II. Malaguena
4. III. Habanera
5. IV. Feria
6. I. Modere
7. II. Assez Lent
8. III. Modere
9. IV. Assez Anime
10. V. Presque Lent
11. VI. Assez Vif
12. VII. Moins Vif
13. VIII. Epilogue
14. La Valse
15. Bolero

Amazon.com

Jesus Lopez-Cobos proves himself a perceptive and idiomatic interpreter of some of Ravel's most popular works. A conductor with a fine ear and a style that lends itself more to elegance than brute force, he encourages his players to explore every nook and cranny of these colorful scores, without any sacrifice of energy or excitement. He's helped in no small degree by Telarc's excellent recording, which allows the music to build to a natural climax that conveys maximum impact without any sense of strain. There are many excellent Ravel discs out there, and this certainly deserves to be considered one of them. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Bolero.......2007-03-20

Main reason I bought this disc was Bolero, which is an excellent 15-minute long piece. The rest of the peices, while not what would normally attract me to buying a disc of themselves, were quite enjoyable. Reccommended for anyone who likes classical/orchestral music

Exercise in orchestration........2002-01-31

What else can you say when a spirited performance of astoundingly inspired music is brilliantly recorded with depth and clarity as on this recording? Not only are these pieces excellent examples of Ravel's orchestral mastery; the sonics Telarc uses to tranmit them through your speakers will have you rapt with respect. The instrumental colors captured here run from excitingly vivid pizzicato stings to reflectively subdued woodwinds. The Bolero is excellent; it covers every decibel level. But, some of Ravel's slyest orchestral tricks will delight you in the Rapsodie and La Valse. This disc is well worth adding to your collection.

Average customer rating: Ravel-ation!! ECSTACY Boulez Has the Perfect Ear for Ravel Popular Ravel Works Ravel In Berlin With Boulez The best Bolero

Ravel: Boléro / Ma Mère L'Oye (complete ballet) / Rapsodie espagnole / Une Barque sur l'océan / Alborada del Gracioso - Berliner Philharmoniker / Pierre Boulez Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Maurice Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé / La Valse - Berliner Philharmoniker / Pierre Boulez Ravel: The Piano Concertos; Valses nobles et sentimentales Debussy: Images / Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune / Printemps - The Cleveland Orchestra / Pierre Boulez Debussy: La Mer - Jeux - Rhapsodie pour clarinette et orchestre Bartok: The Piano Concertos ASIN: B000001GLO Release Date: 1994-06-14

Tracks:

1. Ballett: Prelude: Tres lent
2. Tableau: 1er Tableau: Dance Of The Spinning Wheel And Scene
3. Tableau: 2e Tableau: Pavane Of The Sleeping Beauty
4. Tableau: 3e Tableau: Conversations Of Beauty And The Beast
5. Tableau: 4e Tableau: Tom Thumb
6. Interlude
7. Tableau: 5e Tableau: Laideronnette, Empress Of The Pagodas
8. Apotheose: 6e Tableau: The Fairy Garden
9. Une Barque sur l'ocean: Tres soule de rythme
10. Alborada del gracioso: Assez vif
11. Rapsodie espagnole: Prelude a la nuit: Tres modere
12. Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena: Assez vif
13. Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera: Assez lent et d'un rythme las
14. Rapasodie espagnole: Feria: Assez anime
15. Bolero: Tempo di Bolero moderato assai

Amazon.com

The Berlin Philharmonic never has had much opportunity to play Ravel, which is a pity because under Pierre Boulez they do it extremely well. Under their current music director, Claudio Abbado, the orchestra more often than not sounds positively comatose. How gratifying then, that with a dynamic conductor and music that's fun to play, they rouse themselves to sound like the world-class ensemble they really can be when they're not resting on their laurels. Boléro is really smashing, with a knockout final cadence, and the solo players in all of these works cover themselves with glory. This is a great Ravel disc. --David Hurwitz

Customer Reviews:

Ravel-ation!! ECSTACY.......2007-06-24

I'm no musicologist, but I know what I like: Debussy, Ravel,Vaughan Williams... the early 20th century romantics.. (along with jazz, post-punk, the Beatles and Frank Zappa) and this recording of Ravel's Ma Mere l'Oye is superb!!! I heard the Hong Kong Sinf perform it recently, and had to have a recording. Pierre Boulez and the Berliner Phil do not disappoint. This is as close as anyone is likely to get to audio-heaven: the last movement of this ballet. Wonderful!! Us ordinary mortals are truly blessed to have composers like Ravel channelling this music from the heavens!!!

Boulez Has the Perfect Ear for Ravel.......2006-05-23

These are fine, tight performances of Ravel. Boulez's unequalled talent for detailing orchestra pitch is on fulsome display here. Of particular interest is the mesmerizing performance of the Mother Goose ballet - all the various orchestra climaxes are scintillating. Of the other pieces, while neither the Alborado or Rhapsodie quite equals the sinuous sexuality Reiner and Munch brought out in the music, Boulez, who has been leading top-drawer concerts of Ravel from his earliest days as a conductor, is certainly unrivaled today in this repetoire.

Popular Ravel Works.......2006-01-30

The French composer, Maurice Ravel, is often described as an impressionist. I find his music more vivid than the haze of impressionism usually elicits, and the music on this CD is some of his most vivid and descriptive, not to mention in terms of popularity. Bolero, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Alborada del Gracioso, Une Barque sur l'ocean, and the complete Mother Goose Ballet are all among those vivid compositions.

The Mother Goose ballet has five scenes from various fairy tales: Dance of the Spinning Wheel, Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty, Conversations of the Beauty and the Beast, Tom Thumb, Empress of the Pagodes, as well as a prelude, interlude, and a finale entitled Fairy Garden; all totaling 28 minutes. Each tableaux provides a vivid musical portrait of the fairy tale: the Dance of the Spinning Wheel has a constantly moving string undercurrent, while the Pavane for Sleeping Beauty has beautifully woven melodies in the winds, a lovely calm awaiting Prince Charming. Conversations of the Beauty and the Beast is a charming waltz where, perhaps, the girl is falling in love, while Tom Thumb has direct portrayals of bird trills and calls. The festive Empress of the Pagodes has an Asian pentatonic melody in a spirited dance, but it all culminates in the Fairy Garden, with a lush hymn set in 20th century fullness, bringing the work to close. Wonderfully colorful with lyric melodies for the woodwinds, charming dances, and special effects on the strings (glissandos, slides, harmonics, col legno, etc.) give the work a fantastical feel. Also on the disk is Une Barque sur l'ocean, an ultra Romantic depiction of the sea. Great swellings of waves occur in the music, first peacefully, with gently oscillating winds and strings, but eventually more aggressive. Very descriptive in nature, Ravel's colorful orchestral writing is an optimistic view of the sea, with occasional woodwind melodies insinuating melancholy, or loneliness at sea.

The other three works on the disk are all based in Spanish folk-rhythms and sequences. The seven minute Alborada del Gracioso is a dancing orchestral showpiece with a two-against-three feel, which erupts into a glorious exclamation before immediately calming down. Whirlwinds of harp, flutes, and clarinets, along with quickly repeated trumpet notes, castanets, and a lonely bassoon solo, make the work a tour de force. The 16-minute Rhapsodie Espagnole is in four movements (Prelude to the Night, Malaguena, Habanera, and Festival), and on the whole, a rather understated work of impressionism. The opening prelude has an unceasing, unresolved feeling, as well as a rhythmic displacement that lasts throughout. The Malaguena is a quiet, but snappy dance in 3, while the Habanera is a sluggish dance with a jerky feeling. The Festival finale is the most outgoing, and besides the Bolero, has the most extensive writing for brass on the CD. The famous Bolero, with its sassy melody and natural crescendo (by adding instruments to increase volume), is an orchestral standard. Made famous by its unrelentless rhythmic ostinato and catchy melody, the work includes unique orchestrations, including solos in extreme ranges and use of saxophones (tenor and soprano). The work brings the disk to a rousing close.

Pierre Boulez is a pre-eminent Claude Debussy interpreter, and his experience there is utilized successfully in this Ravel CD. Boulez follows the score intently, sometimes to a fault; he follows the extreme dynamic ranges and Ravel's articulation markings (sometimes making the listener have to adjust the volume in order to hear). Although the Berlin Philharmonic is an unusual choice for a French composer, with often needed delicate handling, they fare quite well, often setting a transparent quality, but thoroughly enjoying the raucous dance settings. Featuring some of Ravel's most vivid and descriptive music, and certainly famous works, this CD should satiate the average listener as a great introduction to Ravel, but the winning performance and 4-dimension DG digital sound should win over the rest. Good choice for these popular works. TT: 75.33

Ravel In Berlin With Boulez.......2005-11-20

Maurice Ravel remains one of the greatest composers of the 20th century, alongside his fellow Frenchman Claude Debussy. This 1993 recording of five of Ravel's works shows why, helmed as these works are by one of the great conductors of all times, Pierre Boulez, in a stunningly fine recording with the Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra.

The recording gives us Ravel's complete ballet "Ma Mere L'Oye" (Mother Goose), with its exquisite and lush orchestration; the brilliant "Une Barque Sur L'Ocean" (A Boat On The Ocean); and the familiar rhythms of "Alborada Del Gracioso" and "Rapsodie Espagnole", reflecting the Spanish influence that permeated much of Ravel's music (as well as his having grown up along the border between France and Spain). The recording climaxes with that great experiment of 20th century music making, the celebrated "Bolero", a work that, thanks to its rhythmic simplicity and its basis in Spanish/Arabian music, has never fallen out of style (and which had its popularity boosted further on the big screen in 1979 by its use in director Blake Edwards' comedy-drama "10").

Boulez, no slouch as a composer either, is often thought of as a rather cold and emotionless conductor who, like Leopold Stokowski before him, directs without a baton (Boulez once joked that holding a baton "made his hands freeze"). Such a perception is not entirely accurate, however, just to judge from the way he is able to handle these Ravel works, particularly the mega-popular "Bolero", with the Berliners. The orchestra had recorded that work on two separate occasions, in 1964 and 1977 respectively, under Karajan, but both times the piece felt slower than it was supposed to be. Under Boulez's direction, however, "Bolero" moves very freely, and with an undercurrent of occasional menace. The performances of "Mother Goose", "Alborada Del Gracioso", "A Boat On The Ocean", and "Rapsodie Espagnole" are also handled with considerable panache by Boulez and the Berliners.

This is a hugely recommended recording, for the sheer pleasure of Boulez interpreting a fellow Frenchman's great works with one of the world's premiere orchestras.

The best Bolero.......2004-08-30

I've heard quite a lot of recorded Bolero performances. Some are exciting without techincal perfection. Some have great orchestral ensemble without first-rate solo performances. This Bolero by Berliners and Boulez has everything.

Solo performances (flute, clarinet, saxophones, trombone, and all) are all simply marvelous, with _both_ perfect technique and taste. The orchestral ensemble is perfect. After all, it's the Berlin Philharmonic. Nevertheless (I say "nevertheless") the perfomance is passonate and exciting. Other passonate recordings out there go beyond the orchestra's capacity and go wild with disastrous ensamble. The capacity of the Berlin Philharmonic is so high that they can be (and are) passionate without sacrificing techincal perfection.

Who said Boulez was cold? He seems to set priority on perfection over emotion. But, when he _does_ already have perfection, he no longer has any reason to restrain his emotion. Only then was this great achievement of modern orchestra possible.

Average customer rating: Wonderful interpretations of Ravel music Everything is good but Le Tombeau de Couperin

Ravel: Orchestral Works Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Minuets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Serge Koussevitzky conducts Prokofiev: Symphony No. 1 in D Op. 25 "Classical"; Danse finale from Chout, Op. 21bis / Shostakovich: Symphony No. 9 in E-flat Op. 7 / Tchaikovsky: Francesca da Rimini Op. 32 Beethoven: Symphonies Nos. 5 & 6 "Pastoral" [Hybrid SACD] Dvorák: Symphony No. 8; Cello Concerto ASIN: B000001GHS Release Date: 1995-05-16

Tracks:

1. Bol - Tempo di Bolero moderato assai
2. Rapsodie espagnole: Prde a Nuit: TrMod
3. Rapsodie espagnole: Malaguena: Assez Vif - Assez Lent
4. Rapsodie espagnole: Habanera: Assez Lent et d'un Rythme Las
5. Rapsodie espagnole: Feria: Assez anim Trmod - De plus en plus anim
6. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod
7. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez lent
8. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Mod
9. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez Anim
10. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Presque Lent
11. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Assez Vif
12. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Moins Vif
13. Valses nobles et sentimentales: Epilogue: Lent
14. Ma M L'Oye: Prde: TrLent - Anim
15. Ma M L'Oye: Danse du Rouet et Sc: Allegro - TrLent
16. Ma M L'Oye: Pavane De La Belle Au Bois Dormant: Lent
17. Ma M L'Oye: Les Entretiens de La Belle et de La B - Mouvement de Valse Mod
18. Ma M L'Oye: Petit Poucet: Trmod
19. Ma M L'Oye: Laideronnette, Imptrice des Pagodes Mouvement de Marche
20. Ma M L'Oye: Le Jardin Fique: Lent et Grave

Tracks:

1. Menuet antique - Maestoso
2. Le tombeau de Couperin: Prelude: Vif
3. Le tombeau de Couperin: Forlane: Allegretto
4. Le tombeau de Couperin: Menuet: Allegro moderato
5. Le tombeau de Couperin: Rigaudon: Assex vif Moins vif - Assex vif
6. La Valse
7. Alborada del Gracioso
8. Une Barque sur l'Ocean
9. Pavane pour une infante defunte
10. Daphnis et Chloe
11. Daphnis et Chloe
12. Daphnis et Chloe

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful interpretations of Ravel music.......2006-03-16

This double decker DG release of the Ravel Orchestral works with Seiji Ozawa and the Boston Symphony are first rate recordings. This was my first exposure really to Ravel as a child and have since amassed recordings of various works by great conductors of his music including Abbado, Boulez, Martinon, and Previn. This collection still remains to be a favorite of mine.

I suspect that they are a favorite of mine in large part due to the fact that Mr. Ozawa was fresh in Boston having recently taken the helm there in the early 1970's. They are light, dynamic, fast-paced, exciting, not to mention the incredible recording techniques of the DG engineers.

My favorites in this collection include Alborada, La Valse, Rhapsodie, and of course Daphnis et Chloe Suite No.2. What I especially love about this Daphnis is that Seiji did not opt out of the chorus for the suite like so many conductors do. It really adds to the impressionistic sound that Ravel was so famous for.

As a percussionist myself , i found the section to be played cleanly - and these recordings bring out all the nuances without overpowering. The section simply sparkles. On the whole - the BSO (in my opinion) really stand up to their European counterparts.

I highly recommend this set - treat yourself and pick it up.

Everything is good but Le Tombeau de Couperin.......2001-04-30

I had never heard of Seiji Ozawa before I purchased this double-CD set. I can't say that I am awe-struck, but I am not disappointed.

This double CD has a great collection of Ravel's work, as you can see. My only complaint is the version of Le Tombeau de Couperin. At times it was as though the orchestra had trouble keeping up with Mr. Ozawa. Ravel liked to conduct his music at a breakneck pace, but I'm certain that he would have slowed down if he were extending beyond their limits. Other conductors that have done better versions of this piece are Andre Previn and Charles Dutoit.

Average customer rating:

Maurice Ravel: The Composer as Pianist and Conductor Manufacturer: Pierian ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Modern | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Claude Debussy: The Composer as Pianist The Composer as Pianist Alexander Scriabin: The Composer as Pianist Bartók Plays Bartók Prokofiev Plays Prokofiev ASIN: B00008BNTE Release Date: 2003-02-25

Average customer rating: Authoratative Ravel

Ravel: Bolero; Rapsodie Espagnole; Pavane; Alborada del Gracioso; Daphnis et Chloe, Suite no. 2 Manufacturer: Erato ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Pavanes | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Barenboim, Daniel | ( B ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000005E8A Release Date: 1992-10-13

Tracks:

1. Daphnis et Chloe: Deuxieme Suite: Lever du Jour - Pantomime - Danse generale
2. Rapsodie espagnole: I. Prelude
3. Rapsodie espagnole: II. Malaguena
4. Rapsodie espagnole: III. Habanera
5. Rapsodie espagnole: IV. Feria
6. Pavane Pour Une Infante Defunte
7. Alborada Del Gracioso
8. Bolero

Customer Reviews:

Authoratative Ravel.......2000-08-29

This disc is a collection of Some of Ravel's best and most famous works for orcestra: Suite no. 2 of Daphnis et Chloe, Rhapsodie Espagnole, Pavane, Alborada del Gracioso, and, of course, Bolero.

Daphnis et Chloe started out as a full ballet with an orchestra and choir. The ballet itself was never very popular, but the last part of the music (with or without the voices), also known as Suite no. 2, has had continuing success. It starts out with the most amazing musical representation of dawn I have ever heard, moves into a long flute solo (beautifully played here by Donald Peck), then into a boisterous dance in 5/4 meter. The subtleties of the music here are excellently captured by Barenboim; it is clear simply in this first track that he is a conductor very sensitive to the music.

Next comes Rhapsodie Espagnole, or Spanish Rhapsody. The prelude, with its constant overlay of E D# C# C is followed by the wonderfully spanish sounding Malagueña. Then comes a pensive Habanera, then the dance-like Feria. The whole Rhapsody is performed with precision.

My favorite tracks on the disc follow. First is the exquisite Pavane pour une Infante Defunte (Pavane for a Dead Princess). Pavane, as most of Ravel's orchestral pieces, started out as a piece for piano. He wrote it while he was somewhat young, and it became a worldwide favorite, which it should have. Toward the end of his career freed it to the orchestra. The orchestral version is twice as exquisite as the original, and here is presented with such delicacy and pathos that it is not to be missed.

Next is a piece that began life in a piano suite entitled "Miroirs", Alborada del Gracioso, which in Spanish roughly means "The Comedian's morning song". This piece, like the Malagueña of the Rhapsody, sounds so delightfully Spanish with its triplets and rhythms that it makes you want get up and move. Barenboim's interpretation stays on tempo and the entirity of the fast sections simply dance in themselves and not a note is missed, even in the impossible repeated triplets (which are especially hard for pianists playing the original, such as myself). The slow section is wonderfully melancholic and the ending makes one fully aware as to why the piece has the title it does.

Finally comes the famous Bolero. Ravel supposedly said once, "I have written one masterpiece, Bolero, only it contains no music." The piece is a continuous repetition of two melodies, one diatonic, one not, gradually growing louder and louder and more fully instrumentated till the ending. The gradual increase here is, as is the entire disc, excellently executed. Barenboim and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra have made an excellent collection of pieces from an excellent composer. Any Ravel enthusiast should buy this disc.

Average customer rating: A MUST HAVE Not just for bassoon players !!

Orchestral Excerpts for Bassoon Manufacturer: Summit(Classical) ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Beethoven | Beethoven, Ludwig van | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Berlioz | Berlioz, Hector | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Donizetti | Donizetti, Gaetano | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rossini | Rossini, Gioacchino | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Strauss | Strauss, Richard | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Shostakovich | Shostakovich, Dmitri | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Tchaikovsky | Tchaikovsky, Peter Ilyich | ( T ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Romantic | Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music Violin | Strings | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music | Cantatas | Romances Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music German | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Italian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Similar Items: OrchestraPro Bassoon, vol. 2 Orchestral Excerpts for Clarinet Orchestral Excerpts for Oboe Orchestral Excerpts for Flute Bach and Bassoon ASIN: B0000038JZ Release Date: 1995-03-17

Tracks:

1. Into
2. Marriage Of Figaro
3. Sym No.4
4. Sym No.9
5. Vn Cto. (1st)
6. Vn Cto. (2nd)
7. Vn Cto. (3rd)
8. Sym Fantastique (4th)
9. Sym Fantastique (5th)
10. La Gazza Ladra
11. Una Furtiva Lagrima
12. Sym No.4 (1st)
13. Sym No.4 (2nd)
14. Sym No.5 (1st)
15. Sym No.5 (2nd)
16. Sym No.5 ( 3rd)
17. Sym No.6
18. Scheherazade
19. Till Eulenspiegel
20. Ein Heldenleben
21. Bolero
22. Alborada Del Grazioso
23. Rapsodie Espanol
24. Pno Con in G (1st)
25. Pno Con in G (3rd)
26. Firebird
27. Rite Of Spring
28. Con
29. Sym No.1
30. Sym No.9
31. Closing

Customer Reviews:

A MUST HAVE.......2003-06-03

Every serious bassoon player should be required to own this cd, especially anyone considering auditioning for an orchestra. McGill explains how to play the excerpts in order to give them that special touch the judges are looking for. He also plays each example with such ease-- it almost sounds easy! This cd gives you something to strive for as an aspiring bassoonist.

Not just for bassoon players !!.......2000-10-16

I first heard of this recording from an article by Owen Lee in DOUBLE BASSIST magazine, in an article on Bach's Suite No. 3 (the 4th in a series on Bach's Suites for Unaccompanied Cello on Double-Bass) - a piece that I keep in my practice folder, and take out periodically. Lee said this CD is "the finest dissertation on musical phrasing that I have come across." Since I'm working on a guitar-bass duet arrangement of Ravel's "Bolero" and this is one of the excerpts, I figured I'd check it out.

I play primarily jazz bass, but have practiced "classical" music to get a better perspective on my weaknesses in intonation, phrasing, and overall style. And although I have never been one to disregard the other instruments in the orchestra (I have always enjoyed a well-played woodwind line), I have never got around to actually practicing these excerpts on my bass. Until now, of course. Anymore, I feel I am robbing myself of some incredible musical opportunities if I limit my vocabulary to double bass recordings.

I would highly recommend this recording to any bassoonist, bassist, or for that matter, ANY instrumentalist, regardless of genre of expertise ....

Average customer rating: The Bolero is habitforming

Maurice Ravel: Boléro/Daphnis Et Chloé/Alborada Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music ASIN: B000001GNK Release Date: 1995-03-14

Tracks:

1. Daphnis et Chloe: Introduction - Lent - Tres Modere -
2. Daphnis et Chloe: Modere
3. Daphnis et Chloe: Modere - Un peu plus lent
4. Daphnis et Chloe: Vif
5. Daphnis et Chloe: Vif
6. Daphnis et Chloe: Vif
7. Daphnis et Chloe: Vif - Plus modere - Tres modere - Pesant
8. Daphnis et Chloe: Assez lent - Anime - Vif
9. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent - Moins lent - Tres libre
10. Daphnis et Chloe: Tres modere
11. Daphnis et Chloe: Moderement anime - Tres anime - Lent - Tres Agite
12. Daphnis et Chloe: Modere - Plus lent
13. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent et tres souple de mesure
14. Daphnis et Chloe: Meme ouvement
15. Daphnis et Chloe: Anime et tres rude
16. Daphnis et Chloe: Un peu moins anime
17. Daphnis et Chloe: Tres rude - Modere - Anime - Assez lent - Anime - Lent
18. Daphnis et Chloe: Assez anime
19. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent - Plus anime
20. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent
21. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent
22. Daphnis et Chloe: Tres lent
23. Daphnis et Chloe: Lent - Anime - Lent - Anime
24. Daphnis et Chloe: General Dance - Dance OF Daphnis And Chloe - Dance Of Dorcon - -Final Dance - -Bacchanal
25. Daphnis et Chloe: Alborada del gracioso
26. Daphnis et Chloe: Bolero

Customer Reviews:

The Bolero is habitforming.......2003-08-07

The audience is reduced to be a bunch of serpents and snakes in a pit and Ravel is the snake charmer. The audience has to be mesmerized and hypnotized by the music, by the flute, clarinet, bassoon, oboe, oboe d'amore, saxophone, strings and many others. The drums and the percussions are there to make the audience undulate, imposing a rhythm behind, over and beyond the melody, the simple musical line played over and over by all the other instruments in succession and together, make the audience undulate to the music, all of them coiled up on their tails, their heads swaying to the right and to the left, forward and backward. Hence the audience is swallowed up in some kind of obsession and obsessive domination that they come to like and desire in total abandon to the drowning flow of the music. A sudden modulation in E major introduces a break, a moment of relief maybe, of liberation maybe, but also a moment during which the audience may try to recapture control over themselves, but it is shortlived and the audience falls back into the loss of themselves in the music that drapes them in a straightjacket of pure enjoying of this total loss of control. And the piece crashes, and the audience crashes along with it in a resounding finale of percussions and strings, falling back onto the ground and breaking a few limbs at the same time. The levitation is over. The hypnosis is over. The audience find themselves crawling on the ground broken and beaten. It is a perfect composition showing how strong music can be when the composer dominates the orchestra and the composition so brilliantly. Note this piece of music is all the better when the instruments have deep and rich sonorities.

Dr Jacques COULARDEAU, University of Perpignan

Average customer rating: Not the best rendition of Bolero or La Valse Well done It's Not Nearly So Bad Not for easy listening.

Ravel: Boléro; Alborada del Gacioso; La Valse; Daphnis et Chloé Suite No. 2 Manufacturer: Sony ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Classical Instrumental Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music Similar Items: Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Capriccio Espagnol Bernstein Century - Grieg: Peer Gynt Suites, Norwegian Dance, March of Dwarfs/ Sibelius: Valse Triste, Swan of Tuonela, Finlandia Bernstein Century - Copland: Appalachian Spring, Rodeo, etc / Bernstein, New York PO Bernstein Century: Bernstein on Jazz - What is Jazz? Vivaldi: The Four Seasons ASIN: B000009CYF Release Date: 1998-07-14

Tracks:

1. Bolero: Tempo di Boler moderato assai
2. Alborada del gracioso: Assez vif- Plus lent- Au mouvement
3. La Valse: Mouvement de Valse viennoise - Un peu plus modere Premier mouvement-Assez anime
4. Daphnis Et Chloe, SuiteNo. 2: Lever du jour
5. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Pantomime
6. Daphnis et Chloe, Suite No. 2: Danse generale
7. Rapsodie espagnole: I. Prelude a la nuit
8. Rapsodie espagnole: II. Malaguena
9. Rapsodie espagnole: III.Habanera
10. Rapsodie espagnole: IV. Feria

Amazon.com

What a potent combo: Maurice Ravel and Leonard Bernstein. Boléro slowly comes to a steady boil without any ingredients overflowing. By contrast, in Alborada del Gracioso and La Valse, Bernstein thoroughly revels in his French orchestra's watery brass and silvery string tuttis. Back in Manhattan, the Daphnis and Chloé suite and Rapsodie Espagnol are lusty without ever sounding vulgar. Some might find the miking a hair spotlit for their tastes, but Ravel's breathtaking orchestration can withstand such scrutiny. So can Bernstein and company. An ingratiating release. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

Not the best rendition of Bolero or La Valse.......2004-06-09

I bought this thinking that this recording was a re-issue of Bernstein's famous studio performance of Bolero/La Valse (recorded, I think in 1958 or 59). THAT studio recording (Columbia) surpasses any other orchestration of those two masterworks by anyone, ever.
Needless to say the orchestra for this particular Bernstein rendition was awful in performing both Bolero and La Valse. Some sections of the orchestra are over miked while some other sections are under miked, making Bolero's famous final crescendo
shrill and choppy.
Bernstein said it himself: Bolero is the most abused classical work--perhaps because of the intricate instrumentaion of the work. I'm not a muscian, so I don't know. Anyway, Both Bolero and La Valse--two masterpieces of music not equalled by any other composer-- deserve better treatment than given here by the techinically limited, over/under miked performances given by the French symphony orchestra in this recording.
Get the Columbia/Bernstein version of Bolero-La Valse . It is the standard , model interpretation of those works.

Well done.......2004-02-11

I grew up with Charles Dutoit but came to appreciate Leonard Bernstein from listening to the local radio station on my morning commute. Bolero, by Maurice Ravel (1875 - 1937), is one of those pieces that are almost impossible to play badly so there are very many good versions on the market. I found this to be very easy to follow.

Ravel takes a single Spanish sounding line and repeats it with some variation and variation of interments. In this way he has capture the feel of Spanish music better than most originals. Timing is everything and we are carried along with the music. We start out slow and quiet, repetition using exotic instruments as the obo has us mesmerized, eventually build to frenzy and them a release.

This piece was also used as the background music in the movie "10" for its alternative use.

The balance of this CD is other Ravel/Bernstein recordings that you may come to appreciate as much if not more than Bolero.

It's Not Nearly So Bad.......2003-02-03

This Bernstein Century CD of Ravel's most famous works for orchestra is really not as bad as the previous reviwer indicated in his two reviews. When it comes to Ravel, I would select Munch, Paray or Cluytens before Bernstein, but with that being said this is an excellent disc. I find Bernstein's accounts better than many of his then contemporaries, and that includes readily available performances by Reiner, Szell and Ormandy. The sound, like all of Bernstein's vintage stereo recordings with the New York Philharmonic for CBS/Columbia/Sony, is full and rich. Fans looking for the complete Daphnis Et Chloe will want to pass on this (get the Munch on RCA Living Stereo), but otherwise you should have no reservations in purchasing this title.

Not for easy listening........2002-12-12

If you don't have any interest in this recording academically, don't buy it. The resolution is very thin, and at times becomes over-saturated. At times in Dafnis, I have to strain my ear to hear what I'm KNOW is suppose to be there. This ablum, like many in this series (save Mahler 4, 7), is very disappointing, and I would have returned this album if I wasn't interested in Berstein's muscial approach.

I will keep this cd in my library, but will definitely find another Ravel recording for easy listening.

Music Review:

1. Rhapsodie - Works for Solo Harp by Marcel Grandjany / Germaine Tailleferre / Gabriel Fauré / Albert Roussel / Gabriel Pierné / Claude Debussy / Aram Khachaturian / Jean-Michel Damase / Carlos Salzedo - Ieuan Jones, Harp
2. Richard Strauss: Josephs Legende, Op. 63
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4. Schumann: Dichterliebe / Liederkreis
5. Serenade for Tenor Horn & Strings
6. Sonata in D Minor
7. Suzuki Meets Victoria De Los Angeles
8. Thirteen Drums: Music for Solo Percussion
9. Tristan & Isolde / Lohengrin
10. Ulysses' Gaze, Original Soundtrack [Soundtrack]

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