Page 441 - Liverpool Philharmonic 22-23 Season Coverage Book

good regional band and a recording like this provides further confirmation.

There are times, particularly in the L’après-midi, where the orchestra do lack a
little in the kind of opulence we have grown accustomed to from recordings by
top ensembles. Even here, as Xavier-Roth’s recent period version
of Pelléas reminds us, the Parisian orchestras of the day didn’t much sound like
Stokowski’s Philadelphia Orchestra either. The overall impression is how idiomatic
the RLPO sound under the young Venezuelan. Even the horns adopt a suitably
French accent, most notably in the Dukas where they have that almost saxophone
like timbre familiar from older recordings of French orchestras. What the RLPO
might very occasionally lack in terms of girth – though the big climax of the Dukas
is as ripe as a low hanging mango – they more than make up for in terms of
finesse. The recording mirrors this: rich but leaning more towards detail.

Thematically, L’Après-Midi fits in with the mythological nature of the Roussel and
the Dukas as well as the erotically charged atmosphere of all of the compositions
included. It is much more familiar than any of those other pieces. I suspect it was
included as a sweetener for those less well known works. I am always unsure
whether such marketing tactics actually work and any new recording of this piece
has to work very hard indeed to stand out. It is not that there is anything wrong
with this performance. It is passionate and delicate in turns rather than oozing

sensuality and if I had caught it in the concert hall I would have gone home well
pleased. On record, I would have preferred something a bit more off the beaten
track, more in keeping with the other works included.

Speaking of which, Hindoyan makes a most persuasive case for Dukas not being a
one hit wonder. True, after a brassy fanfare, his tone poem La Péri does start in a
way uncannily similar to the opening of his Sorcerer’s Apprentice but thereafter it
is all highly perfumed exoticism. It is a wonderful score, wonderfully played, its
unfamiliarity perplexing. Technically, a ballet – it is described as a poème
dansé and was premiered as such – I think it works better as a purely orchestral
work though there is no lack of dramatic incident. Mostly, Dukas is in love with
original and rather ear ravishing textures – there is a shimmering passage on
tremolo strings which gets the hairs rising on the back of the neck. It is a perfect
piece for those wondering 'Where next?' after Debussy.

Oddly, the answer to that question might be – more Debussy given the relative
neglect of his poème dansé, Jeux. Composed to an uninspiring scenario originally
rejected by the composer and largely overshadowed by the furore that
surrounded the Rite of Spring, Jeux has always been the odd one out of his major
works. Stylistically, it is closer to the more abstract music making of the last three
sonatas than the Nocturnes or La Mer. Listening to it, I tend to ignore Diaghilev’s