L'eventail de Jeanne / Axelrod, Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

$19.99
Label
Naxos
Release Date
October 14, 2016
Format
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    Featuring ⌄
    • COMPOSER
      RAVEL FERROUD IBERT SCHMITT
    • ORCHESTRA / ENSEMBLE
      Orchestre National Des Pays De La Loire
    • PERFORMER
      Axelrod
    Product Details ⌄
    • RELEASE DATE
      October 14, 2016
    • UPC
      747313335473
    • CATALOG NUMBER
      8573354
    • LABEL
      Naxos
    • NUMBER OF DISCS
      1
    • GENRE
      Ballet
    Works ⌄

    1. Prélude

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    2. Tableau 1: Danse du rouet et Scène (Dance of the Spinning Wheel and Scene)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    3. Tableau 2: Pavane de la Belle au bois dormant (Pavane of Sleeping Beauty)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    4. Tableau 3: Les Entretiens de la Belle et de la Bête (Conversations between Beauty and the Beast)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    5. Tableau 4: Petit Poucet (Hop-o'-my-Thumb)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    6. Tableau 5: Laideronnette, impératrice des Pagodes (Little Ugly, Empress of the Pagodas)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    7. Tableau 6: Apothéose (Le Jardin féerique, The Fairy Garden)

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    8. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Fanfare

      Composer: Maurice Ravel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    9. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Marche

      Composer: Pierre-Octave Ferroud

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    10. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Valse

      Composer: Jacques Ibert

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    11. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Canarie

      Composer: Alexis Roland-Manuel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    12. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Bourrée

      Composer: Marcel Delannoy

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    13. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Sarabande

      Composer: Albert Roussel

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    14. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Polka, Op. 95

      Composer: Darius Milhaud

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    15. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Pastourelle, FP 45

      Composer: Francis Poulenc

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    16. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Rondeau

      Composer: Georges Auric

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod

    17. L'Éventail de Jeanne (Jean's Fan): Kermesse-Valse

      Composer: Florent Schmitt

      Ensemble: Orchestre National des Pays de la Loire

      Conductor: John Axelrod


We know L’Éventail de Jeanne (Jeannes’s Fan), a collaborative ballet in ten movements by ten composers, primarily from Ravel’s opening Fanfare and Poulenc’s Pastourelle, but the other numbers have plenty of appeal. Roussel’s bittersweet Sarabande adds weight to an otherwise frothy brew, while Florent Schmidt’s concluding Kermesse-Valse provides a buoyant concluding apotheosis. Other savory bits include a polka by Darius Milhaud and perky Canarie by Alexis Roland-Manuel, but it’s all good fun and played here with exemplary spirit and point by John Axelrod and the Loire ensemble.

Here’s an interesting tidbit. Poulenc’s Pastourelle appears to be a nearly literal crib from the “Balalaika” movement that concludes Stravinsky’s Suite No. 1 for small orchestra (sound clips). I wonder if this was noticed at the time?

Ravel’s Mother Goose makes a logical coupling–another children’s ballet, composed and scored with a similarly light touch. Axelrod’s is a sensitive performance, a touch on the slow side, perhaps, but well-proportioned and sensitively detailed. The orchestra plays quite well, with the many woodwind solos sweet and smooth, if perhaps lacking the ultimate character that we hear from Martinon (EMI/Warner) or Ozawa (DG). Axelrod dwells lovingly on the concluding Fairy Garden, and when the music is so beautiful who can blame him? This disc, in short, is a joy. Don’t overlook it.

– ClassicsToday (David Hurwitz)