Orchestral Suites Nos. 1-3

In some ways, Jules Massenet is a slightly sad musical figure. Not forward-looking enough to suggest a bridge between the two centuries he lived in--like Gabriel Faure or Paul Dukas--not potent enough to be one of Romantic music's heavy hitters, he inhabits a world of shadowy reputation a little better than that of his contemporary Edouard Lalo by virtue of the fact that people still listen to some of his perfumed operas, especially Manon and Werther. And speaking of perfume--while Massenet specialized in the painting of exotic scenes, Debussy left him far in the dust, as did for that matter the often-maligned Saint-Saens, whose Bacchanale, for example, outstrips all of the faux orientalisms in Herodiade.

Now that I've dispatched my duties as dry-eyed critic, I'm here to say that all the music on this disc is unfailingly attractive and entertaining, even if it doesn't storm the heavens. Even the unnamed Suite No. 1, which is a little more "academic" than the others, is well crafted and very pretty, though with a bit less profile. And the orchestration is colorful and expert throughout. I doubt any of the melodies or orchestral effects will stick with you, but you'll be very happy while you're giving this disc a spin.

Conductor and orchestra do this music full justice. M. Ossonce specializes in this sort of out-of-the-way fare from the late Romantic era in France (I've enjoyed his work in Alberic Magnard symphonies), and he keeps the pace sprightly, the colors bright and clean a la francais, as they should be. Naxos' engineers do more of the good work they seem inclined to do in the South Seas. On balance, a good disc for late-night listening while catching up on your reading.

When one thinks of classical music from the Romance period; French music is often left out as our ears dwell on the Russians, Germans, Italian operas, and maybe the more recent English composers. But the French produced many great composers, and one of them is Jules Massenet. Though he never wrote a "symphony", he wrote numerous orchestral suites that span 15 - 30 minutes each, and whose music is every bit as lively, enrapturing and melodic as symphonies from Brahms, Tchaikovsky and others. This CD includes several of the better ones, each themed around a specific item in pop culture at that time. The first suite, for example, is based of the stories revolving around King Herod of biblical fame. Every piece on the CD has its own mood, theme, and rhythm. Each is performed by a full orchestra and can be listened on its own. Overall, the music here makes for great movie music and the quality is great. This is a great buy for the price and I recommend it.

I wasn't familiar with Massenet until I heard a sample of this recording on NPR. I loved it so much that I bought the CD that night. It's a good CD to use to introduce people to classical music. There's wonderful, catchy melodies throught the suites and the finales are just incredible. The music reminds me of some of my favorite Tchaikovsky pieces.