Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Daphnis et Chloé M. 57 (1909-1912)
Tenebrae
London Symphony Orchestra/Sir Antonio Pappano
rec. live, 10 & 12 April, 2024, The Barbican Hall, London
LSO Live LSO0899 SACD [55]
I’m sure that the celebrations of the 150th anniversary of Ravel’s birth will occasion the release of a raft of recordings of his music in 2025; at least, I hope so. LSO Live have got in early with this account of the great ballet, Daphnis et Chloé. The recording was captured at two concerts which Sir Antonio Pappano conducted in April 2024. At that time he was the orchestra’s Chief Conductor designate (he formally took up his role at the start of the 2024/25 season). I looked to see if one of my Seen and Heard colleagues had covered the concert. In fact, Daphnis was performed a few nights later as one of the LSO’s enterprising ‘Half Six Fix’ series of early-evening concerts and Chris Sallon had the good fortune to be present (review).
Daphnis et Chloé was commissioned by Diaghilev for his Ballets Russes in 1909. Ravel was to write the music while the choreography was assigned to Mikhail Fokine. As Jeremy Thurlow points out in his useful programme note, it was not a smooth collaboration between composer and choreographer. Though the ballet’s premiere had been scheduled for 1910 it was twice postponed and it was not until 1912 that it was unveiled. One thing I learned from Jeremy Thurlow was that Ravel experienced great difficulty in composing the concluding danse générale. Although this tumultuous section plays for just over 4:00 in this performance, the music took its composer nearly a year to write; that was one cause of the delay in bringing Daphnis et Chloé to the stage.
Although we now know Daphnis et Chloé so well that its progress from first note to last seems to run like a river it’s perhaps not surprising to learn of the compositional pain. Ravel was a fastidious craftsman in any case and with this score he was writing on a very grand scale. He had to tailor his music to the choreographic design of the ballet and at the same time he was clearly determined to organise his composition very tightly; indeed, he described the finished score as a symphonie choréographique. His labours were more than justified, however; there’s a strong case to be made that Daphnis et Chloé is his greatest single achievement. Not only is the music memorable and wonderfully illustrative of the ballet’s ‘plot’ but in addition the orchestration is outstandingly inventive and colourful. It’s a virtuoso test for any orchestra and conductor.
In addition to the very large orchestra, Ravel includes an important part for a wordless chorus. When I received the disc, I was intrigued to see that instead of the London Symphony Chorus Sir Antonio Pappano had opted to use the smaller professional choir, Tenebrae. I’m certain that the London Symphony Chorus would have done a fine job, as usual, had they been involved but I suspect that Pappano may have opted for a smaller choir so as to ensure that the chorus was not as prominent as a large chorus might have been. After all, though it’s by no means uncommon for large choirs to take part in performances, Daphnis et Chloé is not a choral/orchestral work; rather, the chorus just forms a part – albeit a crucial part – of the overall texture. This isn’t the first time that Tenebrae and the LSO have collaborated on disc; this choir has been involved in at least three previous LSO Live recordings when a smaller vocal ensemble was required. Here, the choir consists of 38 singers and they make a splendid contribution.
Right from the start this performance impressed me and drew me in. Pappano establishes a very hushed ambience in the Introduction. The orchestral playing has a warm glow and the singers are ideally present in the texture. Shortly thereafter, when the young girls dance around Daphnis the music is made light-footed and delicate. By contrast, after all this sophistication and sensuality the portrayal of Dorcon is suitably grotesque; as always, the way Ravel uses the orchestra to portray laughter at the hapless Dorcon is a delight. After this, Daphnis dances; the section is entitled Danse légère et gracieuse; that’s just how the LSO make the music sound, their playing stylish and sensitive.
At the beginning of Part II, the members of Tenebrae make a wonderful effect with their hushed, distant-sounding singing. The offstage horn and trumpet are ideally placed. When Bryaxis and his fellow pirates dance Pappano ensures that the music has real bite; we know these guys are unpleasant characters. Chloé has to dance for them. Her music is here invested with the right mix of limpid grace and beauty, tempered by apprehension. When Pan appears on the scene, terrifying everyone, the music has suitably pagan power.
Part III is, of course, very familiar to us as the second suite which Ravel extracted from the full score. Pappano, his players and singers etch in the daybreak scene for us expertly, establishing a wonderful atmosphere. The LSO’s playing is hyper-sensitive to detail and when the music opens out the sound is sumptuous, especially when the first violins begin to sing the ecstatic melodic line (tr 8, from about 2:25). Pappano controls the crescendi expertly until the sunrise finally burst upon the scene (around 4:00); there are few more fulfilling moments in music and Ravel’s depiction of a glorious dawn certainly makes its mark here. In the following section, entitled ‘Pantomime’ in the Suite, Gareth Davies’ flute playing is superb; he mixes athleticism and poetry. The concluding danse générale is really exciting, though Pappano exercises fine control; the music is exciting but not a mad scramble. As I mentioned earlier, Ravel sweated mightily over this hedonistic final celebration; listening to this terrific performance, you would never know.
This is a wonderful performance of Ravel’s masterpiece. The LSO is on absolutely top form and Tenebrae make a telling contribution. I don’t know if Pappano has ever conducted the ballet in the theatre. Maybe not, but as I listened to the way he shapes and characterises the music I felt that the performance benefited from his extensive theatrical experience. I thought there was a strong narrative flow to the performance.
LSO Live recordings have sometimes been criticised in some quarters in the past because the acoustic of the Barbican Hall is not the most sympathetic; it produces sound that some can find too close. I must say I’ve rarely been troubled by this, though I can understand why some listeners might feel this way. The present recording is perhaps a bit more closely balanced than some I’ve heard but not so close that the magic of Ravel’s music is compromised. I found that this SACD allowed me to hear a great amount of detail and the recording has excellent impact and a very good dynamic range.
This LSO Live release gets the Ravel 150 celebrations off to an excellent start.
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See also Ralph Moore’s survey of this work.
