Re: [ARSCLIST] Bolero by Ravel the definitive version?

[Karl Miller <lyaa071@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Wed, 6 Aug 2003, Mike Richter wrote:

> At 07:10 PM 8/6/2003 -0400, you wrote:
> >I was wondering whether anyone on this list might be able to steer
> >in the direction of any performance of this work that is considered
> >the benchmark upon which other are judged? I am a neophyte
> >in the "classical" world and any help would be appreciated.
>
> There is a recording which is sometimes listed as being conducted by Ravel
> with the Lamoureux. Unfortunately, the attribution is spurious.

L'Edition musicale vivante (Jan. 1930, p.15) "The Lamoureux Orchestra was
assemble on stage, under the watchful eye of Albert Wolff. The orchestra
plays, stops, Wolff rushes to the recording booth, Maurice Ravel is there,
conscientious and precise, listening: 'Not enough in the trumpets, too
much celesta'; Wolff retuns to the podium and fives the order. The horns
are moved, a space is cleared in front of the oboes, and they begin again.
After each attempt, the composer returns from the recording booth; he
shakes his head, approving or disapproving. After a number of attempts,
the exact expression is achieved. Wolff gives his baton to Ravel. It is
the composer indeed who is going to preside over the recording of the this
disc. Ravel gives the downbeat. With rigid gestures, his writst traces the
three beats, which, in a mechanical way, govern this melody in C."

Reprinted in the Ravel Reader by Dr. Arbie Orenstein, also reprinted in
our reissue of the recording on Pierian 0013.

> To my knowledge, there is no one performance which can be considered
> definitive of this or any other substantial work. For example, one might
> consider Stravinsky's recordings of his own music "definitive" except that
> the 'definition' changes as his interpretation varies in different
> recordings of the same work.

I concur. As for me, I love the variety that can be found...the Toscanini
is one of my favorite "party" records. He plays it like he is conducting
Wagner. I like the second Koussevitzky recording and just about any of the
Munch.

Karl