Jules Massenet (1842 - 1912) doesn't get a lot of
respect, which I think is rather unfair -- he was a masterful tunesmith,
and even has a few fine serious works under his belt (try his Fantasy
for Cello and Orchestra or his Piano Concerto sometime). Most of the
time his music is similar to Bizet, with occasional Tchaikovskian darker
shades. Massenet's greatest fame was as an opera composer, with
thirty-some to his credit. This 2013 Naxos disc holds the ballet music
from four of them (France loved having ballets within their operas, to
the degree that Verdi had to compose ones for his operas when it came
time to stage them in France): Herodiade of 1884 Le Cid of 1885, Thaïs of 1894, and the rarely heard Bacchus
of 1909, which makes only a little acknowledgement of the increasing
chromatic levels happening in the musical world around him. Patrick
Gallois leads the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra.
From the MusicWeb review:
This disc is just a peach. Jules Massenet’s ballet music brings together all the most charming musical trends of the 19th century: the new French ballet tradition, the lightness of Offenbach’s operettas, the lush tunes of Strauss’s Vienna, the big splashy orchestration of late-century “exotic” potboilers. The music keeps getting better and better as the CD goes along. First I listened out of order and decided the opener, Bacchus, was my least favourite. Then I went in order and, mid-Bacchus, wondered what I had been complaining about. Yes, “Chasseresses et Bacchantes” has an early role for a percussion instrument so wimpily played that I’m not sure what it is, but then the most glorious Johann Strauss parody waltz breaks out and all is forgiven. Yes, the final bacchanale isn’t as crazy as Saint-Säens’ or Roussel’s, but what music is? Hérodiade is an opera about Herod, where he’s the central character, in contrast with Richard Strauss’s Salome. The ballet music comes from a banquet where Herod entertains guests with dances by exotic slave girls from various foreign lands. It’s the shortest selection here. Then we have big suites from Thaïs and Le Cid, each over 20 minutes, the highlights of the disc. Those who know Thaïs only for its “Meditation” will be happy to hear that the rest of the opera is also jam-packed with beautiful music. It’s varied, too, from the stern timpani roll of the opening andante to the perky Pierné-like flute and piccolo solos of the sixth movement, to the unexpected two-minute church-like organ solo. Le Cid is a festival of Spanish tropes, tunes and clichés from the very start. The inevitable cor anglais solo, in ‘Madrilène’, is just gorgeous. It’s as tuneful and colourful as the Spanish pastiches of Chabrier and Debussy, which is to say it’s a ton of fun. The Barcelona Symphony plays excellently throughout, that one wimpy percussion issue confined to a single track. They seem to especially enjoy the Le Cid music, but who wouldn’t? Patrick Gallois continues to prove himself an extremely skilled, sensitive conductor of ballet music. You could imagine people dancing to this album. Despite how good the music is, it’s extremely rare to have it collected on disc without the full operas alongside. Frémaux and Marriner have recorded Le Cid but for sound, panache and comprehensiveness, it’s hard to beat this. What fun. --Brian Reinhart
Disc, booklet, and case are in excellent condition.
Shipping rates:
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