Bizet: Carmen Suite; Arlésienne Suites Nos. 1 & 2; Thomas: Mignon & Raymond Overtures [Import]

All of the pieces have an empty echo sound. I want to hear the music, not the hall it was recorded in. This does add a nice sound to some parts of Farandole, but in general I do not like it.

The balance between instruments was also not quite to my liking. This is a matter of taste and opinion, but towards the end of Farandole one climax was overshadowed by a loud yet musically weak replay of the opening tune, which should have been in the the background.

Les Toreadors was superior to many other recordings in the middle, but the signature uplifting introduction and conclusion felt too relaxed. Strangely, the introduction to Farandole seemed to reverse the situation and beat other recordings in the same way Les Toreadors sounds inferior to others.

If you're looking for the Habanera done sans soprano, forget it, because Paray doesn't do it here and never did. The Carmen Suite here is his own selection and contains only originally instrumental music. It's exciting and dramatic and beautifully recorded and presented. It also became a soundtrack for a later movie and was equally effective there.

The L'Arlesienne suites are among the finest ever done on record. Paray makes them so compelling, soulful, romantic and exciting, that he actually makes you want to see a production of the play with him in the pit. Paray's wide experience and talent as an operatic practitioner takes us through all the scenic ups and downs of the plot and its characters, even though it's incidental music rather than an opera (Cilea made a beautiful one of it, too, though we don't hear it very often).

The Patrie and other overtures aren't the most inspired music from the period, but Paray makes them into dramatic things quite a bit better than they intrinsically are: more than just chestnuts or joux-joux. It all comes from commitment, attention to detail, elegant presentation, and a lot of vital orchestral playing. Like most Paray disks, you'll find yourself putting it on again right away.

All told, this is yet another example of Paul Paray's unmatched artistry and insight that lead us to understand why all this music and its composers are held in high regard.