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| 1. Le roi d'Ys, Overture |
| 2. Namouna, Suite No. 1: 1. Prelude |
| 3. Namouna, Suite No. 1: 2. Serenade |
| 4. Namouna, Suite No. 1: 3. Theme varie |
| 5. Namouna, Suite No. 1: 4. Parades de foire |
| 6. Namouna, Suite No. 1: 5. Fete foraine |
| 7. Offrande a une ombre |
| 8. Symphony In B-Flat, Op. 20: 1. Lent; Allegro vivo |
| 9. Symphony In B-Falt, Op. 20: 2. Tres lent |
| 10. Symphony In B-Flat, Op. 20: 3. Anime; tres anime |
The Mercury Living Presence classical series spanned the years 1951 to 1968; the original vinyl recordings were great achievements in high fidelity and, eventually, stereophonic recording. Indeed, the Mercury recordings became milestones and, eventually, collectors' items. It is wonderful that Phillips has reissued these recordings on CDs. They remain high points in American classical recordings. Paul Paray's numerous recordings for Mercury with the Detroit Symphony are among the finest performances of the French repetoire.
Part of the appeal of this CD is hearing some rarely-performed works. First is the overture to Lalo's opera "Le Roi d'Ys." I don't believe the opera is performed anymore, despite some very fine arias. The overture is even a rarity now and it's a special treat to hear Paray's spirited, driving performance of the music. This is the epitome of French romanticism and one can almost picture the first performance in the elegant Paris Opera House in the middle nineteenth century, before an audience that would have included the aristocratic members of the Jockey Club, who so loved to watch the corps de ballet since many of the female dancers were "favorites" of those gentlemen.
Certainly Lalo's ballet "Namouna" would have been a favorite of the Parisians. It has some infectious, imaginative tunes, some of which are included in the first concert suite here recorded.
A great contrast comes with Henri Barraud's "Offrande a une ombre," a very powerful, deeply emotional work written during World War II, when France had been terribly humbled by the Nazi invaders. There is considerable anguish in this music, but Barraud also seems to offer some hope that better days lie ahead. The recording was originally issued only in mono; this is the first time it has been available in stereo.
This is a very enjoyable compilation by a fine French maestro, leading the outstanding Detroit orchestra, in sensational Mercury recordings.
But if you have all of this on vinyl, especially in first editions like I did my comparison, keep it there. The Paray Chausson loses a lot of its immense orchestral scope, though it gains in highs and loses a lot of of the tubby bass and tape his that was typical of Edsel Ford Auditorium and Mercury. The orchestra sounds like it has about 80 members, though you know the DSO had a lot more at sessions than that.
It also impresses me that Paray actually conducts the Lalo material as if it were a ballet--all fleet and upbeat and elegant. With this one release from '58, Paray put Lalo back in the running as a major French composer, not just for Symphonie Espagnole (you can get Paray and Amoyal doing that on a wonderful disc from Monte Carlo).
It also seems to me that Paray's work in the Chausson and Lalo is easily preferable to that of Ansermet, Martinon, and Wolff due to his impeccable artistic scrutiny of the scores and the noticeably more shipshape level of his ensemble.
Keep your vinyl, but if you don't have this material, just buy this disc and you're set for life.
But if you have all of this on vinyl, especially in first editions like I did my comparison, keep it there. The Paray Chausson loses a lot of its immense orchestral scope, though it gains in highs and loses a lot of of the tubby bass and tape his that was typical of Edsel Ford Auditorium and Mercury. The orchestra sounds like it has about 80 members, though you know the DSO had a lot more at sessions than that.
It also impresses me that Paray actually conducts the Lalo material as if it were a ballet--all fleet and upbeat and elegant. With this one release from '58, Paray put Lalo back in the running as a major French composer, not just for Symphonie Espagnole (you can get Paray and Amoyal doing that on a wonderful disc from Monte Carlo).
It also seems to me that Paray's work in the Chausson and Lalo is easily preferable to that of Ansermet, Martinon, and Wolff due to his impeccable artistic scrutiny of the scores and the noticeably more shipshape level of his ensemble.
Keep your vinyl, but if you don't have this material, just buy this disc and you're set for life.
The Mercury Living Presence classical series spanned the years 1951 to 1968; the original vinyl recordings were great achievements in high fidelity and, eventually, stereophonic recording. Indeed, the Mercury recordings became milestones and, eventually, collectors' items. It is wonderful that Phillips has reissued these recordings on CDs. They remain high points in American classical recordings. Paul Paray's numerous recordings for Mercury with the Detroit Symphony are among the finest performances of the French repetoire.
Part of the appeal of this CD is hearing some rarely-performed works. First is the overture to Lalo's opera "Le Roi d'Ys." I don't believe the opera is performed anymore, despite some very fine arias. The overture is even a rarity now and it's a special treat to hear Paray's spirited, driving performance of the music. This is the epitome of French romanticism and one can almost picture the first performance in the elegant Paris Opera House in the middle nineteenth century, before an audience that would have included the aristocratic members of the Jockey Club, who so loved to watch the corps de ballet since many of the female dancers were "favorites" of those gentlemen.
Certainly Lalo's ballet "Namouna" would have been a favorite of the Parisians. It has some infectious, imaginative tunes, some of which are included in the first concert suite here recorded.
A great contrast comes with Henri Barraud's "Offrande a une ombre," a very powerful, deeply emotional work written during World War II, when France had been terribly humbled by the Nazi invaders. There is considerable anguish in this music, but Barraud also seems to offer some hope that better days lie ahead. The recording was originally issued only in mono; this is the first time it has been available in stereo.
This is a very enjoyable compilation by a fine French maestro, leading the outstanding Detroit orchestra, in sensational Mercury recordings.
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