In the early to mid-1960s, the Czech Philharmonic recorded a large quantity of French music under a series of excellent French conductors, including Jean Fournet, Serge Baudo, and Antonio de Almeida. The orchestra’s then music director, Karel Ancerl, had created a world-class ensemble, one whose unique timbral qualities perfectly suited this repertoire. Pinpoint rhythmic accuracy, agile, bright brass (the very opposite of the dark “German” sonority), and the best wind section in the world all added up to a dream “French” orchestra playing to standards unheard of in France, and equaled only by the Boston Symphony in the United States. The results, on this fine Debussy disc, are performances of exemplary clarity, balance, and style. Sonically, the recordings, which were made over a three year period, show their age more in the differences between works rather than within any single piece, but this isn’t a barrier to full appreciation of the wonderful response that Fournet gets from his Czech players. At mid price, this is really worth a listen.
