Ravel: Boléro; Rapsodie espagnole; Debussy: Images

Charles Munch was the opposite of the "intellectual" school of French conductors, as typified today by Pierre Boulez. He was a completely spontaneous artist, which is what made him the great Berlioz conductor of our time, and literally anything could happen when he got up onto the podium. It follows then, that his Ravel is not going to be the sort of hyper-precise, calculated sort of interpretation that many fans of the composer expect, but it will be exciting as hell. These three pieces are shrewdly chosen; they are the composer's most extrovert works, and Munch pulls out all of the stops in his performances of them. A classic recording, and a great memento of a unique artist. --David Hurwitz Listen to samples

Revel : Bolero

The Berlin Philharmonic never has had much opportunity to play Ravel, which is a pity because under Pierre Boulez they do it extremely well. Under their current music director, Claudio Abbado, the orchestra more often than not sounds positively comatose. How gratifying then, that with a dynamic conductor and music that's fun to play, they rouse themselves to sound like the world-class ensemble they really can be when they're not resting on their laurels. Boléro is really smashing, with a knockout final cadence, and the solo players in all of these works cover themselves with glory. This is a great Ravel disc. --David Hurwitz Listen to samples

Bolero

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937)

Although raised in Paris, Maurice Ravel made much of his partly Basque ancestry and the influence of Spanish music on his development. At 14 he entered the Paris Conservatory, where he was greatly influenced by Erik Satie. With a series of works, Ravel became, next to Debussy, the most popular French composer in the years just before World War I. In 1928, Ravel’s Bolero, written for the dancer Ida Rubinstein, quickly became one of the most popular orchestral scores of the era; six different recordings appeared within a year, it was played frequently on radio, and its title was used for a 1932 Hollywood movie. Audiences of our generation might remember this piece of music from the Movie ‘Ten’

Ravel conceived the work as a technical exercise in a gradual, steadily building crescendo, repeating one rhythmic melody by passing it continuously from solo instruments to instruments in groups and then, finally, to the full orchestra. He insisted it was a simple work, not a virtuosic one. He also took issue with those conductors (including Toscanini) who played it faster than the fifteen-minute duration specified by him in the score.

"CAVALLERIA" Will Never Sound Better Than This!,

Mascagni's "Cavalleria Rusticana" has been recorded multitudes of times over the last fifty years ---- and to my ears, this 1965 effort is the best recorded performance of all of them. Herbert von Karajan has fashioned a reading of this much-heard opera that makes you feel that you are hearing it for the very first time. Orchestral color and "verismo" atmosphere abounds here as in no other "Cav" recording, and there are instruments in the orchestra that seem much more prominent than we are used to hearing in this particular opera ----- and the orchestral crescendos are more powerful than I have ever encountered them. Carlo Bergonzi, perhaps not the most creative and innovative artist, sings a Turridu with flow, beauty, and taste. Fiorenza Cossotto ----- probably the greatest Italian mezzo since Gulietta Simionato and Fedora Barbieri ---sings a smoldering and compelling Santuzza with a voice ideally suited to the violent emotions of the role. Giangiacomo Guelfi is a vocally solid and strong Alfio. Plainly, with von Karajan at the helm, and with the caliber of these great artists, "Cavalleria Rusticana" comes across on this recording with all of the violence and passion which Mascagni certainly must have intended. This one's a real winner ----- and it's companion performance of "Pagliacci", also conducted by von Karajan and starring Carlo Bergonzi as Canio ------- is every bit as great.Buy them both! --lesismore26 Listen to samples

Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana & Leoncavallo: Pagliacci (complete operas)

Verismo can sound positively sublime if sung with taste and no mannerisms. Maria Callas, in her short prime, transformed roles such as Floria Tosca, Santuzza, Nedda and Maddalena and gave them the elegance and simplicity they need to be acceptable. Be it the simple country girl Santuzza or the noble Maddalena, Callas finds the right tone for each and every character. Her Santuzza is tearful but never racked by fake sobs. Her "Io son dannata!" has to be heard to be believed. This is Santuzza in a nutshell. Her duet with Turridu (Giuseppe di Stefano in brilliant form) burns and soars so intensely, it will break your heart. With her even the old war-horses are so real and new that she spoils me for other recordings of these shockers. Another highlight is her outcry "O madre mia!" at Mamma Lucia in the end. I have never heard this sung with equal emotion and pathos.

Her Nedda on the other hand is a young woman desperately in love. Yearning to be free of her marriage to Canio she sings of freedom and she sounds so utterly charming, it's hard not to love her. Her Nedda isn't an innocent girl but an experienced young woman and her duets with Silvio and Tonio show this brilliantly. When her frustration at Canio turns to hatred in the scary final scene it's chilling and ravishing at the same time. Gobbi is her equal as Tonio, he set the bar very high and so far no other Tonio scared me like this. Di Stefano is a passionate Canio, sincere honest and passionate without sounding fussy or melodramatic. Tullio Serafin, this master among conductors, conducts brilliantly. A bargain price, a brilliant recording, a clear winner. Listen to samples

Pietro Mascagni: Intermezzo From "Cavalleria Rusticana"

Pietro Mascagni (1863-1945)

Today, Mascagni's reputation rests entirely with one short opera called Cavalleria Rusticana. The opera is usually considered to be the first verismo opera and was written by Mascagni for a competition organized by the first verismo opera and was written by Mascagni for a competition organized by the music publishers Sonzogno. It won first prize and was soon popular on both sides of the Atlantic. The plot is based on a story by Verga, and as a play it was popularized by the great actress Eleanora Duse. Musically it contains moments of great passion, with some quieter moments of great beauty.

Cavalleria Rusticana tells of love brtrayed and a jealousy that leads to a duel and death in a Sicillian village. Its famous, intensely felt intermezzo is played between this one-act opera's two scenes.