Search - Ravel, James Levine, Boston Symphony :: Daphnis & Chloe

A Good Performance With A Few Reservations

J. Rich | 02/14/2010

(4 out of 5 stars)

"James Levine's new recording of Ravel's "Daphnis et Chloe" is one of the best I've heard of recent years. Levine has conducted this ballet twice on record: once with the Vienna Philharmonic on Deutsche Grammophon and now this release on the BSO's own label. This particular piece seems to be Levine's favorite Ravel composition to perform and it's kind of become a trademark for him to perform.



This new recording is sonically outstanding. I can hear all of the instruments loud and clear. The performance, however, is very good, but I do have a few reservations. While Levine is able to capture the sensual nature of the work, he fails to bring the famous "Sunrise" scene to it's roaring, elevated climax. Another problem lies with the BSO's string section, which I have never been too impressed with anyway. They simply don't generate the kind of lush, soaring quality the Montreal Symphony, the Berlin Philharmonic, or the Orchestre de Paris were able to achieve. Dutoit, Boulez, and Martinon gave this scene the attention it truly deserves.



I own 23 versions of the full ballet of "Daphnis" and each has something unique and different to offer. There are many I don't like, but this one is quite good despite what I consider the most pivotal moment of the entire ballet is played with lackluster results.



All of this said, if you're interested in owning another version of "Daphnis et Chloe," then you could do a lot worse than Levine's. 4 stars."