{"product_id":"monteux-conducts-ravel-vol-2-stereo-195961-pasc744","title":"MONTEUX conducts Ravel, Vol. 2 (stereo, 1959\/61) - PASC744","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eDaphnis et Chloé\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRapsodie espagnole\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePavane pour une infante défunte\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eStereo studio recordings, 1959 \u0026amp; 1961\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eTotal duration: 73:58\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eRoyal Opera House Chorus\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eLondon Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003econducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003ePierre Monteux\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFanfare Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fThis is special - both Pristine volumes are essential purchases578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp\u003eThis is special: Pierre Monteux’s 1959 recording of Daphnis et Chloé , whose classic status few listeners would dispute, sympathetically remastered by Pristine Classical to very good effect. Monteux of course had conducted the very first performance of Daphnis in Paris in June 1912 during Diaghilev’s Ballet Russes season at the Theâtre du Châtelet. Nearly 47 years later in a conversation with Decca Producer John Culshaw, Monteux said how much he would like to record the complete score. A delicate situation ensued. At the time, Decca was party to a commercial partnership with RCA whereby Decca recorded in Europe on RCA’s behalf. Monteux was an RCA artist, but his records didn’t sell as well as the label’s other famous conductors. Decca too became nervous about the commercial prospects of a complete Daphnis with Monteux at the helm, and executives told Culshaw that the project could only proceed on the basis that the performance was squeezed onto a single LP. This stipulation amounted to a considerable technical challenge for the recording team. The score is characterized by its colorful textures and dynamic range, and Culshaw was understandably unwilling to compress the sound. Instead, because of his team’s dedication and its skill in the dubbing process, it was possible to fit the recording on to a single LP without compromise.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe great Deryck Cooke greeted the recording as “ravishing” when it was released in late 1959 and that’s still the word one first reaches for over 65 years later. At nearly 52 minutes this remains one of the faster performances in the catalog, but that isn’t a result of impulsiveness on Monteux’s part. Instead, he pretty faithfully follows Ravel’s metronome markings and tempo directions throughout and forgoes the interpretative extremes that beset so many performances. You might be slightly surprised at his steady approach to the final Bacchanale, for example, but it absolutely works in the context of this performance and the gains in clarity are remarkable when set against the blurring of important detail which can occur at more hectic speeds. Similarly, the famous “Lever du jour” at the start of the final Tableau is rendered with lovely color and superb pacing, but not to the extent that its climax makes everything which follows bathetic. Interestingly Culshaw drew an approving comparison with how Monteux approached “Lever du jour” to his later recording of Elgar’s Enigma Variations , where again the conductor refused to allow “Nimrod” to eclipse the work’s finale. The LSO plays superbly for Monteux throughout the ballet and he conjures from it some wonderfully idiomatic playing. It’s little wonder that the orchestra was happy to make Monteux its principal conductor two years later, acceding to his demand for a 25-year contract at the age of 86. The Royal Opera House Chorus is also spectacularly good, singing with excellent articulation and dynamic range and perfectly achieving the very distinct and mystical blended timbre Ravel pioneered.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCulshaw’s recorded sound here was a benchmark for its time and still stands up very well today without any retouching. Andrew Rose for Pristine has used his XR remastering technique pretty subtly here, I would say. To my ears the most notable change is a little bit more space and airiness to the sound, most welcome.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePristine has also included Monteux’s 1961 LSO recordings of the Pavane pour une infante défunte and Rapsodie espagnole . The former is the most delicately melancholic reading imaginable, and the LSO plays it with a sustained elegance, which has an almost antique edge to it, very lovely. The Rapsodie in contrast is appropriately vibrant, exuberant at times, always beautifully shaped and with a pervading sensuousness. Again, it’s easy to see how these later Ravel recordings have also acquired classic status. They sound even fresher after Pristine’s fine-drawn enhancements.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThis is Volume 2 of Pristine’s “Monteux conducts Ravel” mini-series. I reviewed Vol 1 in Fanfare 49:1. This was a live concert from Carnegie Hall in March 1959, also featuring the Rapsodie espagnole and the Daphnis Suites 1 and 2. Having listened again, I still think there is a definite frisson in the live performances which makes them treasurable. There’s no question, though, that the remastered Decca recorded sound on Volume 2 wins hands down, as does the playing of the LSO, and of course it’s fantastic to have the whole ballet. So, unhelpfully for your wallets, I still think both Pristine volumes are essential purchases.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eDominic Hartley\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eFanfare\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC744.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"407\"\u003e\u003cstrong data-start=\"343\" data-end=\"407\"\u003eMaurice Ravel and Pierre Monteux: Architects of French Sound\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"409\" data-end=\"836\"\u003eMaurice Ravel and Pierre Monteux were born in 1875, and though their lives rarely intersected intimately, they were bound by a shared devotion to precision, poise, and the search for orchestral colour without sentimentality. While Ravel was famously private and exacting, Monteux was genial and unshakeable—but the musical results they achieved together, especially through Monteux’s interpretations, reveal a profound kinship.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"838\" data-end=\"1585\"\u003eMonteux was not part of Ravel’s close artistic circle—Ravel gravitated more toward pianists like Ricardo Viñes or the conductor-designer Alexis Roland-Manuel—but Monteux was one of the few conductors Ravel respected. Their most famous direct collaboration came in 1912, when Monteux conducted the premiere of \u003cem data-start=\"1147\" data-end=\"1165\"\u003eDaphnis et Chloé\u003c\/em\u003e with Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes. It was a challenging production: the choreography by Michel Fokine was demanding, and the massive orchestral forces—plus chorus—presented formidable difficulties. Yet Monteux’s steady hand brought coherence to the performance. While it was eclipsed at the time by the scandal of Nijinsky’s dancing and Stravinsky’s looming \u003cem data-start=\"1522\" data-end=\"1529\"\u003eSacre\u003c\/em\u003e, \u003cem data-start=\"1531\" data-end=\"1540\"\u003eDaphnis\u003c\/em\u003e soon emerged as one of Ravel’s masterpieces.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"1587\" data-end=\"2202\"\u003eDecades later, Monteux would return to this vast score in one of the crowning achievements of his recorded legacy. In 1959, with the London Symphony Orchestra and chorus, Monteux recorded the \u003cspan data-start=\"1779\" data-end=\"1810\"\u003ecomplete \u003cem data-start=\"1790\" data-end=\"1808\"\u003e\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan data-start=\"1779\" data-end=\"1810\"\u003e\u003cem data-start=\"1790\" data-end=\"1808\"\u003eDaphnis et Chloé\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e for Decca—a landmark version. At 84 years old, Monteux led the orchestra with the energy and precision of a man half his age. The recording captures every shimmer and swell of Ravel’s writing with breathtaking transparency. The famous \"Lever du jour\" (Daybreak) is rendered not as a lush wash, but as a delicately evolving light—each instrument clear, perfectly balanced, never overindulged.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"2204\" data-end=\"2563\"\u003eCritics and collectors often return to this version as the most idiomatic of all. Monteux, who had premiered the work nearly half a century earlier, understood that its brilliance lies not in bombast but in control. There is nothing overripe in his interpretation—just luminous textures and rhythmic poise. It's Ravel as Ravel might have heard it in his mind.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"2565\" data-end=\"2878\"\u003eMonteux had a deep affinity for the London Symphony Orchestra, and in the early 1960s their partnership entered a golden phase. In \u003cspan data-start=\"2696\" data-end=\"2704\"\u003e1961\u003c\/span\u003e, Monteux recorded two more Ravel gems with the LSO: the \u003cem data-start=\"2761\" data-end=\"2794\"\u003ePavane pour une infante défunte\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"2799\" data-end=\"2819\"\u003eRapsodie Espagnole\u003c\/em\u003e. Both are miniature masterclasses in restraint and colour.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"2880\" data-end=\"3361\"\u003eThe \u003cem data-start=\"2884\" data-end=\"2892\"\u003ePavane\u003c\/em\u003e, often subjected to syrupy interpretations, emerges in Monteux’s hands as a dignified lament. His tempo is deliberate but never dragging. The famous horn solo is noble, not mawkish, and the phrasing throughout is shaped with understated elegance. Monteux once said, “Ravel must never be sentimentalised—it ruins the structure.” This \u003cem data-start=\"3226\" data-end=\"3234\"\u003ePavane\u003c\/em\u003e proves the point: it glows softly, like a faded photograph, dignified and deeply moving precisely because it refuses to plead.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"3363\" data-end=\"3944\"\u003eHis \u003cem data-start=\"3367\" data-end=\"3387\"\u003eRapsodie Espagnole\u003c\/em\u003e, recorded in the same sessions, is a model of orchestral discipline and flair. Ravel’s evocation of Spain—filtered through French elegance—is handled with just the right balance of heat and cool. Monteux lets the rhythms speak naturally: the “Prélude à la nuit” is mysterious without being heavy; the “Feria” dances with taut energy. The LSO plays magnificently, responding to Monteux’s economical yet expressive gestures. As always, he avoids exaggeration. “You must trust Ravel’s pen,” he once told a student. “It already sings. You don’t need to shout.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"3946\" data-end=\"4341\"\u003eMonteux’s long-standing belief in Ravel’s music went beyond national pride. While he helped define the French orchestral tradition, he approached scores with a craftsman’s eye. Even as a centenarian in spirit—he signed a 25-year contract with the LSO at age 86—Monteux remained committed to clarity above all. His recorded Ravel offers no eccentricities, only the distilled essence of the music.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"4343\" data-end=\"4799\"\u003eThough Ravel and Monteux were never close personally, their paths reflect a shared philosophy. Neither was a revolutionary in the flamboyant sense. Ravel constructed his works with classical discipline and sensual restraint; Monteux conducted them with the same values. Ravel distrusted flashy interpretation. Monteux disdained conductors who drew attention to themselves. “The conductor is not the composer,” he would say, “only the servant of the score.”\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"4801\" data-end=\"5075\"\u003eIn that sense, Monteux may have served Ravel more faithfully than any other conductor of his generation. The 1959 \u003cem data-start=\"4915\" data-end=\"4924\"\u003eDaphnis\u003c\/em\u003e, the 1961 \u003cem data-start=\"4935\" data-end=\"4943\"\u003ePavane\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem data-start=\"4948\" data-end=\"4958\"\u003eRapsodie\u003c\/em\u003e—these recordings still stand as exemplars of how Ravel should sound: luminous, unsentimental, and exquisitely clear.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp data-start=\"5077\" data-end=\"5277\"\u003eAs Monteux once reflected, “If the music is perfect, you don’t polish it—you just let it shine.” In letting Ravel’s music shine, he helped preserve a sound-world that still feels utterly modern today.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 24px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMONTEUX \u003c\/b\u003econducts Ravel, Volume 2\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. \u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePavane pour une infante défunte\u003c\/span\u003e, M. 19  (6:44)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/b\u003eRapsodie espagnole\u003c\/span\u003e, M. 54\u003cbr\u003e2. 1. Prélude à la nuit  (4:07)\u003cbr\u003e3. 2. Malagueña  (2:15)\u003cbr\u003e4. 3. Habanera  (2:36)\u003cbr\u003e5. 4. Feria  (6:27)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eRAVEL \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eDaphnis et Chloé\u003c\/span\u003e, M. 57\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTableau I\u003c\/b\u003e (Une prairie а la lisiére d'un bois sacré) \u003cbr\u003e6. Introduction et danse religieuse  (7:18)\u003cbr\u003e7. Danse générale  (2:43)\u003cbr\u003e8. Danse grotesque de Dorcon  (2:18)\u003cbr\u003e9. Danse légère et gracieuse de Daphnis  (2:23)\u003cbr\u003e10. Danse de Lyceion  (4:38)\u003cbr\u003e11. Danse lente et mystérieuse des Nymphes  (4:40)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTableau II\u003c\/b\u003e (Camp des pirates) \u003cbr\u003e12. Introduction  (2:55)\u003cbr\u003e13. Danse guerrière  (4:06)\u003cbr\u003e14. Danse suppliante de Chloé  (5:14)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTableau III\u003c\/b\u003e (Paysage du première 1er tableau, а la fin de la nuit) \u003cbr\u003e15. Lever du jour  (5:12)\u003cbr\u003e16. Pantomime (Les amours de Pan et Syrinx)  (5:29)\u003cbr\u003e17. Danse générale (Bacchanale)  (4:53)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRoyal Opera House Chorus\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLondon Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003econducted by \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003ePierre Monteux\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eXR remastering by Andrew Rose\u003cbr\u003eCover artwork based on photographs of Pierre Monteux and Maurice Ravel\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 1-5 recorded 11-13 November 1961\u003cbr\u003eProducer: Erik Smith\u003cbr\u003eEngineer: Kenneth Wilkinson\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTracks 6-17 recorded 27-28 April, 1959\u003cbr\u003eProducer: John Culshaw\u003cbr\u003eEngineer: Alan Reeve\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRecorded in stereo at Kingsway Hall, London \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTotal duration:  73:58\u003c\/b\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC744.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC744.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Stereo 24-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064760266842,"sku":"pbi1789304257993","price":11.88,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"Stereo 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":44064760299610,"sku":"nor1789304257994","price":9.06,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Stereo MP3","offer_id":44064760332378,"sku":"tua1789304257995","price":7.93,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0726\/3807\/0874\/files\/monteux-conducts-ravel-vol-2-stereo-195961---pasc744_1.jpg?v=1789304286","url":"https:\/\/vestorawear.shop\/products\/monteux-conducts-ravel-vol-2-stereo-195961-pasc744","provider":"My Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}