My fourth release and also the last so far. I admit to be mad about Paavo Järvi, the new conducting star. Here he plays together with the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra the music of Maurice Ravel. The sound is marvelous although I did hear Järvi on TELARC better before on other recordings. The violins are a bit muffled. Nevertheless, Ravel´s skills in orchestration still shows. I also heard most of the pieces on this disk better interpreted before by Sir Simon Rattle on EMI. Järvi´s Bolero is one of the fastest I´ve ever heard - and it doesn´t actually suit the piece considering Ravel´s orchestration and Järvi´s approach in precision. The same goes for the suite from Daphnis & Chloe, where I miss the choir (although Ravel himself wrote the suite without the choir).

The major treat of this album however is "La Valse". I´ve never heard a better interpretation of this hommage to waltzes from Strauss. Paavo Järvi doesn´t make the mistakes so many conductors are making: changing tempo, use a jazzy approach or getting faster in the coda. Instead, he just plays the notes as they are which is exactly how Ravel intended it to be. As said before, Ravel was quite skilled in orchestration and he would have noted if one particular note should be played faster. With "La Valse" he didn´t and thankfully Järvi pays respect to this and produces an unmatched, very dynamic recording.

TRACKLIST

1. Ravel: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe: Lever du jour (Daybreak)  2. Ravel: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe: Pantomime  3. Ravel: Suite No. 2 from Daphnis and Chloe: Danse generale (General Dance)  4. Ravel: Pavane pour une infante defunte  5. Ravel: La Valse  6. Ravel: Five Nursery Songs from Mother Goose: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Pavane of the Sleep  7. Ravel: Five Nursery Songs from Mother Goose: Petit Poucet (Hop o' My Thumb)  8. Ravel: Five Nursery Songs from Mother Goose: Laideronnette, Imeratrice des Pagodes (Laideronnetee, E  9. Ravel: Five Nursery Songs from Mother Goose: Les entretiens de la Belle et de la Bete (Conversations 10. Ravel: Five Nursery Songs from Mother Goose: Le Jardin feerique (The Fairy Garden) 11. Ravel: Bolero

SPOILER!

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