There may have been better played performances of Pacific 231 (Zinman’s recent Decca recording, for example), but Jean Martinon’s typically clear, expertly balanced effort reveals more detail than most, and the slight coarseness in execution arguably suits the locomotive subject matter. Both Rugby and Pastorale d’été also work well, the first appropriately muscular and athletic, the second subtly colored and bittersweet, its sinuous woodwind lines clinging like ivy to a supporting trellis of strings. The most important item, however, is the Christmas Cantata, a deliciously un-tacky contrapuntal mélange of traditional tunes and stylistically appropriate original material–one of the finest works of its type. With Baudo’s excellent Supraphon recording currently unavailable, this MHS reissue of EMI’s becomes the only show in town, and a fine one it is. Self-recommending.
