Charles Munch’s 1955 recording of Daphnis et Chlöe set new standards of virtuosity and sonic splendor (to say nothing of interpretive insight) in this music, but I can’t help but wish RCA would stop reissuing it and instead turn to his remake from the early ’60s, just for a change. There’s little to choose between them: the earlier Bacchanale goes with a bit more swing, but both the playing and sonics are even finer (if marginally so) in the later version. Will we ever hear it? The remainder of this otherwise splendid set demonstrates exactly why the Boston Symphony had no peer in this music in the ’50s and ’60s. Listen to the way the Rapsodie espagnol’s Feria explodes with maximum strength and clarity, those usually inaudible glissando exchanges between xylophone and celesta perfectly in place, or to the brilliant trumpets at the cataclysmic climax of La Valse. Then move on to the subtle, luminous timbres of the Mother Goose Suite, with its gorgeous solo winds. Boléro, dispatched with almost terrifyingly mechanical precision, stays swiftly in tempo right up to its final bar. The Pavane flows nicely, never becoming sticky, and Dukas’ witty little tone poem makes a terrific encore. Irresistible. Timeless. A classic. [10/31/2001]
