…these readings project life, interest, and color; and the good French orchestra helps…the sound has the presence and clarity that is a must with Ravel.

…this is excellent Ravel. © 2013 American Record Guide Read complete review on American Record Guide

This is the first volume in a survey of the complete orchestral works of Maurice Ravel. It is a delightful and assorted collection nearly spanning the composer’s entire career, presented in splendid performances by the Orchestre National de Lyon led by their music director, the venerable American conductor Leonard Slatkin. What spirit each reading exhibits, from the sunny character of Alborado del grazioso to the allure and insouciance of Bolero. In sum…Slatkin…offers…one of the finest Boleros currently available.

The collection starts with two favourites, Alborada del gracioso and Pavane pour une infante defunte, before a side trip to Spain brings us the beautifully varied tonal palette of Rapsodie Espagnole and the ravishing solo violin by Jennifer Gilbert on Piece en form de Habanera.

This magnificent album is crowned by perhaps Ravel’s best-known, and certainly most notorious, piece Bolero. Its single, slowly building theme accompanied by a snare drum is a concert tour de force which many people at the time couldn’t understand there was even speculation in America that its pre-minimalist repetition was a sign that the composer had dementia brought on by a head injury he suffered in a road accident!

Naxos is the most remarkable producer of series in the CD business…Naxos has produced engaging, often fascinating series for decades and is constantly creating new ones or adding to existing ones. Take the new Ravel series featuring Orchestre National de Lyon conducted by Leonard Slatkin. The first volume is a kind of “greatest hits” compilation, containing Alborada del gracioso, Pavane pour une infante défunte, Rapsodie espagnole, and the inevitable Boléro, as well as other works. But because of the way Naxos pulls the CD together, what listeners get is mostly an intriguing compilation of pieces that Ravel originally wrote for piano and then orchestrated. Four of the seven works here…originated as compositions for piano, dual pianos or piano duet, a fact that makes the composer’s inventive and evocative orchestrations all the more impressive. These are all colorful works…The orchestra plays all of them with sensitivity and skill, and Slatkin does a particularly fine job with the seemingly ubiquitous Boléro by emphasizing Ravel’s subtle and gradual additions of orchestral instruments to the ever-growing crescendo that is the distinguishing feature of the piece. This is an outstanding start to what is sure to be another top-notch Naxos series. © 2012 Infodad.com Read complete review