Maurice Ravel (1875-1937): Daphnis et Chloé - Complete Ballet (1909-12)

Everyone knows that Maurice Ravel was a master of orchestration. His Boléro and Rhapsodie Espagnole are but two shining examples of his propensity for colorful and evocative writing. And let's not forget the wonderful work he did when orchestrating Mussorgsky's Pictures at an Exhibition. For me, the Lever du jour (Dawn) sequence in Daphnis et Chloé is one of the paramount examples of orchestral tone painting ever conceived. Nothing else in music, and it's been tried many times, quite captures the stunning imagery of the sun rising over the horizon as well as this. Studying the score, you're immediately amazed at the sheer number of notes required to achieve this effect. Also worth noting is that French composers in general have always been the best at depicting movement or motion in music (Ravel's own La Valse for example), and again Ravel's touches in this ballet perfectly set the tone for the dancers on stage.

This score is all about ancient Greek mythological and mystical atmosphere and a 'live' performance like this is the best way to convey this impression. For example, the hushed beginning pages of the opening Introduction et Danse religieuse sounds like a mist slowly rising from the meadow under the firm dynamic control of Italian conductor Antonio Pappano. And all along, the fact that the choir Tenebrae sits recessed within the orchestral fabric, adds depth to the sonic canvas (other recordings have the choir set too forward). And when power is called for, the LSO members give it all they have during the final Danse finale (Bacchanale). I have floor standing speakers and I could actually feel the timpani thwacks near the end resonating along the floorboards.