COMPOSERS: Berlioz,Debussy,Ravel
LABELS: Decca Classic Sound
WORKS: Divertissement; Danse macabre; Le rouet d’Omphale; Jeux d’enfants – Petite suite d’orchestre, Op. 22; Le carnaval romain Overture; Le corsaire Overture; Hungarian March from La damnation de Faust
PERFORMER: Paris Conservatoire Orchestra/ Jean Martinon
CATALOGUE NO: 448 571-2 ADD (1959/60)
If asked to name a great conductor of French music, I daresay that few people would suggest the name of Jean Martinon. Yet, from the ‘showpieces’ in this collection, to the complete works of Debussy and Ravel, it would be hard to find a more consistently stylish proponent of the French repertoire. Apart from a couple of slightly bumpy passages in the Berlioz overtures, the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra responds to Martinon with panache and, when necessary, a dash of raucous frivolity. Released as part of Decca’s ‘Classic Sound’ series, the excellent transfers make this a very desirable disc. Christopher Dingle