COMPOSERS: Debussy
LABELS: Decca Ovation
WORKS: La mer; Nocturnes; Ibéria
PERFORMER: Cleveland Orchestra/Lorin Maazel
CATALOGUE NO: 425 050-2 ADD (1979)
The elemental force of the sea pounding against the rocks is heard and almost felt in great performances of La mer – an atmosphere that is singularly lacking in Maazel’s version. While commendable in its attention to detail, this version fails to delineate the natural flow of the musical argument. Likewise, the Nocturnes sound curiously anodyne and suffer from some odd balancing of textures and the occasional imprecision of orchestral ensemble. A major disappointment. Erik Levi
Debussy: La mer; Nocturnes; Ibéria
The elemental force of the sea pounding against the rocks is heard and almost felt in great performances of La mer – an atmosphere that is singularly lacking in Maazel’s version. While commendable in its attention to detail, this version fails to delineate the natural flow of the musical argument. Likewise, the Nocturnes sound curiously anodyne and suffer from some odd balancing of textures and the occasional imprecision of orchestral ensemble. A major disappointment. Erik Levi
Our rating
2
Published: January 20, 2012 at 1:17 pm
