Lorin Maazel’s Ravel program showcases the Vienna Philharmonic’s famed tonal opulence, which makes for sumptuous (if not particularly French) sounds in the Daphnis et Chloé suites (a welcome surprise after Levine’s strangely denatured Vienna rendition of the complete ballet). This quality is heard to even greater effect in La Valse, where the gorgeous Vienna strings swirl with dizzying brilliance. In both works, Maazel’s vigorous and alertly interventionist conducting enlivens the music’s fetching dance rhythms.
Maazel indulges in a bit of showmanship in Bolero, where he employs not-so-subtle ritardandos at strategic moments, injecting a sense of drama in this usually metronome-enslaved piece. Rapsodie espagnole finds the conductor less sure-footed in terms of gesture and emphasis, making his rendition less than convincing. So, while it’s not a first-choice collection–you should look to discs by Munch, Ozawa, Martinon, Dutoit, and Bernstein for that–the novelty of hearing the Vienna Philharmonic in this music, combined with RCA’s exceptionally vivid recording, make it certainly worth a listen even if French music purists may cringe now and then.
