COMPOSERS: Ravel/Debussy
LABELS: RCA Victor Living Stereo
WORKS: Boléro; La valse; Rapsodie espagnole; Images
PERFORMER: Boston SO/Charles Munch
CATALOGUE NO: 09026 61956-2 ADD (1955-57)
The sound on this disc is remarkably vivid and, while it may sound coarse by today’s standards, I’d rather have that sense of life and immediacy than the over-refined anaemia of some modern recordings. The performances, needless to say, are first rate, with rhythmic bite and orchestral opulence now brought out all the more successfully by CD, particularly in the mesmerising accounts of La valse and ‘Ibéria’ from Images. Matthew Rye
Ravel/Debussy: Boléro; La valse; Rapsodie espagnole; Images
The sound on this disc is remarkably vivid and, while it may sound coarse by today’s standards, I’d rather have that sense of life and immediacy than the over-refined anaemia of some modern recordings. The performances, needless to say, are first rate, with rhythmic bite and orchestral opulence now brought out all the more successfully by CD, particularly in the mesmerising accounts of La valse and ‘Ibéria’ from Images. Matthew Rye
Our rating
5
Published: January 20, 2012 at 2:32 pm