Ravel Bolero, EMI Classics, DVD Orchestre De Paris, Jean Martinon, # 7243 4 92395 9 3, made in holland Fred > [Original Message] > From: Karl Miller <[log in to unmask]> > To: <[log in to unmask]> > Date: 8/7/2003 12:06:54 PM > Subject: Re: [ARSCLIST] Bolero by Ravel the definitive version? > > On Wed, 6 Aug 2003, Mike Richter wrote: > > > At 07:10 PM 8/6/2003 -0400, you wrote: > > >I was wondering whether anyone on this list might be able to steer > > >in the direction of any performance of this work that is considered > > >the benchmark upon which other are judged? I am a neophyte > > >in the "classical" world and any help would be appreciated. > > > > There is a recording which is sometimes listed as being conducted by Ravel > > with the Lamoureux. Unfortunately, the attribution is spurious. > > L'Edition musicale vivante (Jan. 1930, p.15) "The Lamoureux Orchestra was > assemble on stage, under the watchful eye of Albert Wolff. The orchestra > plays, stops, Wolff rushes to the recording booth, Maurice Ravel is there, > conscientious and precise, listening: 'Not enough in the trumpets, too > much celesta'; Wolff retuns to the podium and fives the order. The horns > are moved, a space is cleared in front of the oboes, and they begin again. > After each attempt, the composer returns from the recording booth; he > shakes his head, approving or disapproving. After a number of attempts, > the exact expression is achieved. Wolff gives his baton to Ravel. It is > the composer indeed who is going to preside over the recording of the this > disc. Ravel gives the downbeat. With rigid gestures, his writst traces the > three beats, which, in a mechanical way, govern this melody in C." > > Reprinted in the Ravel Reader by Dr. Arbie Orenstein, also reprinted in > our reissue of the recording on Pierian 0013. > > > To my knowledge, there is no one performance which can be considered > > definitive of this or any other substantial work. For example, one might > > consider Stravinsky's recordings of his own music "definitive" except that > > the 'definition' changes as his interpretation varies in different > > recordings of the same work. > > I concur. As for me, I love the variety that can be found...the Toscanini > is one of my favorite "party" records. He plays it like he is conducting > Wagner. I like the second Koussevitzky recording and just about any of the > Munch. > > Karl --- Fred Catalano --- [log in to unmask] --- EarthLink: The #1 provider of the Real Internet.