Search - Debussy, Ulster Orchestra :: La Boite a Joujoux

French Ear Candy

Brett A. Kniess | Madison, WI | 07/03/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"After you have heard Debussy's greats (La Mer, Prelude to an Afternoon, Images, Nocturnes, etc.) experience some of the most beautiful and inventive French Impressionist music in the catalogue, as represented on this CD. Unfortunately, many recordings of Debussy are lacking in detail and excitement that is needed in brewing a successful Debussy, but Yan Pascal Tortelier and the Ulster Orchestra create a deep lush sound brimming with yearning and excitement.Almost all of the music represented on this CD (The Toybox, Children's Corner, and Small Suite) were composed for piano and later orchestrated by someone else (not uncommon with Debussy) and also written for children. The music is often more clear and forthright in creating pictures than is normal for Debussy, but he maintains his normal sumptuosness and beauty.The Toybox, a ballet, was written for an illustrator of children's books who imagined a story where "Toyboxes are really towns in which the toys live like people" featuring characters such as a soldier who falls in love with a pretty doll, who goes to war to fight her suitor, and wins her hand. The music is filled with descriptive music of the characters, how they dance, a fierce battle, and heroic music of saving the day.Children's Corner is six vignettes of musical situations and desciptions of his Daughters' four favorite toys. Perhaps the most famous melody on the disk, Golliwog's Cake-walk is included. Creating scenes of humor, slumber, serenades, and dancing, Children's Corner is a very accessible work of great charm.I admit I bought this CD for the Petite Suite, originally composed for two pianos. The first three movements contain some of the most lush and sensuous melodies and orchestrations ever written. Often featuring banter between woodwinds and strings, an atmosphere of great joy and warmth is clearly conveyed and beautifully performed. Petite Suite concludes with a rambunctious March which can't quite decide whether it wants to be in a meter of four or three. In any case, Petite Suite comes to a rousing conclusion that will make you want to listen again and again.Two smaller pieces included on this disk, March and Dance, are very robust, equally balancing much of the lush Debussy at the beginning of the disk to the agressive Debussy that writes very fast and exciting music with great pinache.If anything, the music on this disk is very accessible and will round off any Debussy collection. While this is not "serious Debussy", the music is of equal quality and stature as the rest of his opus, often creating scenes and melodies as memorable and beautiful as his most well known. This CD is highly recommended, with a great performance by the Ulster Orchestra under Maestro Tortelier and great sonics presented by the Chandos Label. Five Stars."