Iberia
Emmanuel Chabrier (1841-1894)
España
Claude Debussy (1862-1918)
Images – Ibéria
Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)
Rapsodie espagnole
Alborada del gracioso
Pavane pour une infante défunte
Boléro
Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra/Domingo Hindoyan
rec. 2022/24, Philharmonic Hall, Liverpool
Reviewed as a download
Onyx 4252 [72] 

The latest disc from Onyx, the RLPO and its chief conductor Domingo Hindoyan is a classic programme of Spanish themed music from French composers Chabrier, Debussy and Ravel. The combination of this genre of music on record has been popular for decades and the discographies are filled with notable records from the great and the good of many generations. I have followed Hindoyan’s progress in Liverpool keenly and reviewed his last Tchaikovsky disc favourably. The very familiar items on this latest release give his fine orchestra the chance to spotlight its quality ensemble whilst offering ample opportunity for individual players to stand out. 

In Chabrier’s whirling, vital España with its echoes of Flamenco, the bullring, in fact all things Spanish, I always turn back to that famous light blue Columbia made by Beecham and the LPO at the very end of 1939. What style, heat, the very perfume of Andalusia. Nothing else ever seems to come close for me. It is a superb showpiece built up polyrhythmically and with so much colour. I enjoyed Rebekah Abramski’s bassoon solo ben giocoso, sempre con impeto at 1:27 and the three trombones in their famous contribution at 2:47 (but surely Hindoyan didn’t need to slow it down this much). Col legno effects at 3:40 and the lovely chirping from the trio of flute, clarinet and bassoon that begins at bar 333 of the score (4:17) are some other highlights. Hindoyan strikes a nice balance between the lively and the sultry, I think, though for me tempi could have been just a notch faster.

Debussy’s Ibéria features triple woodwind, four horns led by Tim Jackson and trumpets headed by Richard Cowen; they can really shine here. The booklet doesn’t have a list of the orchestra members so I cannot name the castanet player or his colleague on tambourine. I really enjoy Les parfums in this reading. This is pure impressionism, very seductive and hypnotic. In his excellent booklet notes, Andrew Stewart calls it “mystical enchantment”. After hearing Britten’s, The Prince of the Pagodas very recently, I think I know what he means. Helena Mackie’s oboe deserves special praise. The overall spell of this movement is captivating and convincing, with complementary lucid sonics. Le matin d’un jour de fête follows immediately, crafted onto Les parfums with the some of the greatest joinery skills of the era.

I like what Domingo Hindoyan has done with the rest of the program. It does not tell us as much in the booklet, but I have the idea he may have conceived the four Ravel pieces he ends with as a kind of Spanish Symphony. In terms of proportions: Rapsodie espagnole, Alborada, Pavane and Boléro have timings here of 15:32/7:33/7:09/14:48. It works, too, thinking of Alborada as the scherzo and the Pavane as the slow movement.

Ravel’s Rapsodie espagnole itself is of course built over four sections. Its quiet ostinato consisting of four descending notes is calming and soothing, even trance-like in this reading by the RLPO. Malagueña, livelier but sharing some rhythmic similarities is nicely done. Drake Gritton’s cor anglais is heard to great effect at 1:15. A beguiling Habanera is followed by the carnival sheer exuberance and joy of Feria. Hindoyan manages the swirl and thrusting surging of the orchestra very deftly, although it cannot be denied some French, Italian (and Dutch) maestri of the golden age have brought a little more sparkle and elan.

More guitar strumming effects herald Alborado del gracioso. It is very nicely performed. Once again, I must highlight Rebekah Abramski who first sings the serenade in that important bassoon part and Ravel’s Pavane for his little Princess is lovely, too. The dance is slow and processional. Here the sad lead melody is given to the horn first, but it is a real test of orchestral cooperation and integration, as well as dynamics. Hindoyan grades everything very well, helped by some sympathetic sound balancing from the engineering and production team.

This Spanish Symphony closes with the Boléro of 1928. The original bolero was a slow Spanish dance form with three beats in a bar. Ravel’s exercise in the form is perhaps his most famous composition. I believe that, just as much as he was working under a Spanish influence, Ravel here adopted the machine-music craze of the 1920s too. Ravel loved all kinds of machines and the relentless pulse of the music, seductive but bombastic, is like one huge unstoppable tension-building engine. I don’t believe I will ever really love Boléro but as far as I can tell Hindoyan paces this one adroitly, the crescendo arch ever rising, always building to the climax. The orchestra sounds magnificent.

So, this is another fine record from this partnership. None of the performances can be realistically marked out as challengers at the highest level but it is an effective, great sounding programme. I enjoy the Ravel sequence. too. Hindoyan has some interesting dates lined up this season (2025/26) culminating in a couple of highly interesting concerts at the end of term. In May, he presents Mahler 9 and in June, the orchestra under his direction give concert performances of Dvořák’s Rusalka with Sonya Yoncheva. I hope the partnership the RLPO and Hindoyan have with Onyx on record, continues to bear such fine fruits.

Philip Harrison

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