[SACD-R][OF] Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez - Ravel – Boléro - 2004 (Orchestral)

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 & 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, & the solo players in all of these works cover themselves with glory. This is a great Ravel disc.
~David Hurwitz
SA-CD.net reviews:
A special, special recording, even when it came out in standard 2ch a few years ago. This is the *best* re-release in SACD surround that I’ve heard from the DG back-catalogue — it doesn’t sound ‘processed’ in any way, & the Berlin strings sound even warmer than the original — which isn’t always the case, as we have discovered, when PCM is transferred to SACD. Wait until you hear the surging climaxes of “Un Barque…” in the (finally) unrestrained acoustic of surround–made my skin tingle. We get the Berlin Phil playing Ravel, ( a surprising rarity), & Boulez in a very generous mood–he draws luminous playing from the orchestra & no passing beauties are short-changed in the name of poise or classical restraint. A Gramophone recommended recording.
Has there ever been such a magical (in the true sense of the word) composer as Ravel? And even he never created a more beautiful work than his Mother Goose Suite. I have always thought Dutoit reigned supreme in Ravel, an impression borne from his classic St Eustache recordings for Decca in the 80s. Boulez has always been accused of being a little ‘cold’ & may not hit the heights of rapture of Dutoit but these are magnificent recordings. Alborado del Gracioso, the 1st track on the 2nd disc, explodes from the speakers in a riot of colours.
The Mch mix is excellent. You can just feel the sound in Berlin’s famous Jesus Christ Church (always a better acoustic than the Philharmonie) expand through your living room in a way that 2ch can just hint at. The recording is of 1994 vintage so may not have the ultimate range of a new DSD production but is pretty spectacular! A treasurable disc.

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