Putting all of Debussy’s works for solo and orchestra together on a single disc is smart programming, even if it makes for somewhat short playing time (just over 50 minutes). Whatever reservations I have expressed about Jun Märkl’s Debussy recordings, he’s perfectly comfortable as an accompanist, and Naxos has lined up an impressive roster of soloists, most notably Jean-Yves Thibaudet in the Fantasie. His performance is lovely: ripely romantic, rhythmically vital, and a joy from beginning to end.
In the works for wind solo, both Paul Meyer (clarinet) and saxophonist Alexandre Doisy play the music about as well as anyone. Märkl shows himself a particularly sensitive partner here, as he does also in the two dances with harp. Although a simple piece, at least theoretically, many performances seem to have trouble finding the right tempos for the work’s two movements. Here it all goes swimmingly, and despite the potential balance issues between the various soloists and the larger ensemble, Naxos’ engineering is consistently fine. A very enjoyable release.
