This Debussy compilation can only be recommended to fans of the Vienna Philharmonic, and even with regard to sonics, there’s a major flaw. In “Sirenes,” RCA has balanced the women of the Schoenberg Chorus much too forwardly. There may be no indication in the score that the chorus has to be
off in the distance, but this group of ladies sounds as though they’re calling out names at the local DMV. Also a bit insensitive, Maazel chooses a very fast, hectic tempo for “Fetes,” leading to some unsteady ensemble. In “La mer,” the Vienna cymbals, both suspended and hand held, hardly evoke the sun’s shimmer on the ocean surface or mist spraying from the whitecaps. However, it’s still this work that gets the best performance: the Viennese put some real weight and muscle behind those final waves. It’s in
the lighter, more mercurial music that this recording is at a true disadvantage. As for “Jeux,” it’s simply too leaden and earthbound to hold the listener’s interest as it should. Stick with Boulez/Cleveland for the same program.
