Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Monteux conducts Ravel Volume 2
Pavane pour une infante défunte, M. 19
Rapsodie espagnole, M. 54
Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57*
Royal Opera House Chorus
London Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Monteux
rec. 1959* & 1961, Kingsway Hall, London. XR Remastering
Pristine Audio PASC744 [74]

A trio of splendid modern recordings of this staple of ballet music have been released of late (review ~ review ~ review ~ review), but having fairly recently posted a survey of the major work here on this well-filled anthology, I feel no need to revise my position that this vintage account of Daphnis et Chloé by Monteux remains a classic and a prime recommendation., so let me first quote my findings regarding its musical merits:

‘In a sense, Monteux must be given a free pass here, as he conducted the premiere almost half a century before, but we must approach it soberly as “just another recording”.

However, I happened to play this just after listening to the Roth recording…and the difference was palpable – they sound as if they are playing two completely different pieces; this is the veritable antithesis of Roth’s account. Monteux is wild, ecstatic and released; his orchestra breathes and sighs, his choir are a seraphic host, properly distanced in the auditory spectrum (even if occasionally one or two individual soprano voices obtrude) – and no allowances for the vintage sound have to be made in this magnificent transfer, which has depth, warmth and virtually no hiss. Monteux has the knack of maintaining continuous tension without sacrificing a jot of the music’s ephemeral, poetic nature. Every mood is wholly successfully embraced, from the bucolic to the comic to the erotic to the manic to the ecstatic and the sheer virtuosity of the London Symphony Orchestra in all departments is striking – the voluptuousness of the various woodwinds playing in the “Danse suppliante de Chloé” and the sheer elan Monteux brings to the more sections such as the “Danse guerrière” and the concluding bacchanal are thrilling. As for my “acid test”, the sunrise section is suffused with ecstasy; it just blooms and glows and the choir creeps in imperceptibly to complete the apotheosis. Yes; this is a classic.’

However, we must now also consider the sonic improvements brought about by Andrew Rose’s re-engineering of this recording into and XR Remastering. Of course, it is indeed now enhanced, with a new solidity and depth to the bass, less glare on high notes, minimal hiss and a greater sense of space in the stereo spread, more dynamic contrast – everything is more vivid, especially the contribution of the choir, which is now more immediate without being too “up front” – the perspective from which the voices sing and their balance with the orchestra were always very well judged by producer John Culshaw and engineer Alan Reeve; now it simply sounds even better.

The two “bonus” items are equally distinguished. Rose’s elegant and appreciative notes, comparing composer and conductor in an enlightening manner, quote the dictum to which Monteux meticulously adhered: “Ravel must never be sentimentalised; it ruins the structure.” Delicacy, restraint and clarity were always Monteux’s watchwords – yet he could “let rip” when required, too. That is not required in the serene Pavane; its floating melancholy is perfectly realised – again, balances are beautiful and no one listening blind would think this was recorded so many years ago. For some reason, the recorded sound of Rapsodie espagnole does not sound quite so full and immediate to my ears but is still perfectly pleasing. Monteux finds a little edge of Hispanic menace or violence in the music absent from the dreamy Gallic Pavane and the virtuosity of the LSO soloists often comes to the fore – the notes include a reminiscence by a violinist: “He didn’t need to raise his voice. He just looked and somehow we all played better.” You can hear that for yourself.

Neatly packaged in a cardboard slipcase, these three works present a perfect summation of both Ravel’s and Monteux’s art – an artistic partnership fortuitously underlined by the fact that the two were born in the same year.

Ralph Moore

Note: Following a query made via the Message Board, I should add that this recording of Daphnis et Chloé only (no “fillers”) is also available in an issue from HDTT. I have compared the two and the HDTT remastering is very good, devoid of hiss and very clean, but has been transferred at a considerably lower level and is not quite as rich and full as Pristine’s XR remastering. However, you simply have to increase the volume for the HDTT issue and it does not distort – and some will find it more natural than Pristine’s more “spotlit” version; I am happy to listen to either and both.