Adrian Leaper proves a sensitive and refined Ravel conductor, attuned to the music’s luminous colors and rhythmic nuances. This makes the more exotic passages of Rapsodie espagnole and Daphnis et Chloé sound especially alluring. He draws gorgeously piquant woodwind playing from the Orquesta Filarmónica de Gran Canaria, which he employs to great effect in Ma Mère L’oye.
Where these performances fall short of the best is in the brass playing, which is strangely reticent throughout most of the program, most egregiously so in the Rapsodie, which misses the rhythmic snap and sharpened accents that make Martinon’s, Munch’s, and Dutoit’s recordings so memorable. (Those conductors also had the far-superior Chicago, Paris, Boston, and Montreal ensembles at their disposal.) Boléro is the one exception: after a procession of brilliantly-rendered instrumental solos (including some really juicy slides on the trombone), the brass that was so timid in the other works rings boldly forth in the final climax.
The recording’s wide dynamic range creates room-filling tuttis in both Boléro and Daphnis et Chloé, even if the bass drum sound is a little muddy. Collectors wanting this particular compilation (in modern recordings) at a budget price will find much to enjoy in this disc, but be advised that true greatness in this music can be had for not much more.
