This is one of the finest Debussy recordings around. It combines two performances from the 1960s (the Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun and Jeux), when the orchestra was at its Ancerl-trained early peak, with some classic late-’70s material that has always commanded critical respect. Serge Baudo remade some of this music for EMI in London, but, digital sound notwithstanding, it’s amazing how much better the Czechs realize Debussy’s sonic panorama than did the London Philharmonic. Baudo’s performances have the crisp authority that typifies the idiomatic French approach to Debussy: he pays keen attention to matters of balance and color, keeps the music moving without ever driving too hard, and lets the lean, transparent, but always characterful sound of the orchestra take care of the rest. The middle movement of Ibéria (“Les parfums de la nuit”) has a special magic, as do the mysterious rustlings that open and close the elusive dance-poem Jeux. Supraphon’s very resonant sound envelops the music without smothering it, though if you’re looking for a sort of Boulez/Cleveland clarity, you will be disappointed. There are many, many excellent versions of this repertoire on CD, and this release certainly has sufficient virtuosity and character to stand proudly among them.
