Ravel - Daphnis et Chloé | WDR Symphony Orchestra | WDR Radio Choir 

If you want to learn the correct way to produce a video of a classical music concert, here's a masterclass. Both the producer and the cameramen have studied the score in detail, and know the orchestra composition and arrangement; and the cameramen are reading the score in real time.

One of the best pieces ever. The richest chords, widest instrumentation. A great performance of a masterpiece.

What the world lost when Ravel suffered brain damage from a car accident. We need more of his music but we were robbed prematurely of his genius. His work is simply wonderful. He himself thought that he wasn’t good enough, but he ranks with the best in history. This music transcends the ordinary in a magical way. And this performance is wonderful.

This performance is of the highest possible level. The conductor and the orchestra found the line that runs through the piece and followed it for 55 unbroken minutes. The "orchestral effects" appear with such naturalness it's unbelievable. I put those words in quotes for often they are simply effects, but here they have musical sense and beauty. His sense of accent (which is one aspect in the direction of perception) is, as far as I can tell, infallible. But I think the aspect which I found most impressive was how he was able to present an ever-changing orchestral mass; it seemed like some constant topological transformation at work.

43:06 and the next 30 seconds is my favorite part in the piece. Man I love that part.

If I had to be marooned somewhere with only one composition to listen to for the rest of my life, this would be it!

46:53 for flute

I have listened to this piece 500 times and never get tired of being immersed in its sonic beauty. This score is a miracle. Thank you Maurice for all the pleasure you have given me.

45:00 this string section's warm gliss chords are just the best thing i have ever heard in my entire life. And those pastorale like oboes. This is literally my favourite moment in entire orchestral repertoire

33:25 Elegance of this section is beyond this world

I can remember that day at school when the teacher moved onto this period of music with excerpts from Debussy (Nuages) and Ravel (Daphnis et Chloé). He personally did not like it - I was blown away! I was 14, I am now 60 - it is still fresh in my mind. But the ethereal Daphnis et Chloé is a high point.

39:00 to 44:44 is the incredible DAYBREAK. The most beautiful part of this composition.

How wonderful to see a camera operator know to highlight instruments when they're prominent. There are some shockers out there even when an instrument has a solo, the camera is pointed in a completely different direction.

Perhaps the most perfect and beautiful piece written in the 20th century. He was such a beautiful human being.

1:44 One of the most horrendously difficult Oboe solos ever and beautifully played.

This music never fails to pit me in tears. It’s just perfect!

This piece, among many others, such as Trois Nocturnes, takes me on a journey where my inner soul feels elevated to the heavenly realm. This kind of music makes life worth living.

This piece is such an outstanding work of human intellect.

Love how the harps are so clearly audible!

Immersive and transformational. The listener is transported into another realm. It is very much like the Star Trek music which was used in the 1970s when they landed on another planet. To say the Ravel was ahead of his time is an understatement. Epic.

Ravel could reach mystical proportions with the colors he could achieve from an orchestra and chorus. His popularity with each generation attesting to the brilliance and magnetic force of his music. This is an outstanding performance. BRAVO!!

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Daphnis et Chloé (1909-12) Complete Ballet Tableau 1️⃣ 🧝‍♀️🧝 Une prairie a la lisiére d'un bois sacré _(A meadow at the edge of a sacred grove)_ 00:03 1. _Introduction_ 02:53 2. _Danse religieuse_ [5] In a grotto, a crowd of youngsters bow before an altar of nymphs. Girls dance around the shepherd Daphnis, kindling Chloé's jealousy. 10:22 3. _Danse générale_ [26] The cowherd Dorcon competes for Chloé's attention. A dance contest is proposed for a kiss from Chloé. 11:49 4. _Danse grotesque de Dorcon_ [33] The crowd mocks the rival suitor's clumsy motions. 13:38 5. _Danse légère et gracieuse_ _de Daphnis_ [43] With a light and graceful dance Daphnis wins the contest and accepts his reward. Daphnis and Chloé embrace. The crowd withdraws with Chloé, leaving Daphnis in ecstasy. 18:05 6. _Danse de Lycéion_ [53] Another shepherdess, Lycéion, tries to entice Daphnis. Pirates attack. Chloé beseeches the nymphs' protection but is carried off. 21:08 7. _Danse lente et mystérieuse des Nymphes (Nocturne)_ [74] Daphnis searches for Chloé but collapses in despair. The nymphs come to life, revive Daphnis and supplicate Pan, the god of the shepherds. Tableau 2️⃣ 🦸🏻🦸‍♂️ Camp des pirates 26:06 8. _Interlude [choir a cappella]_ [83] 28:40 9. _Danse guerrière_ [93] The pirates exhaust themselves in a war-like dance. Their chief orders Chloe to dance. 33:25 10. _Danse suppliante de Chloé_ [133] As she dances in supplication, Chloé tries to escape. As the chief carries her off, fantastic satyrs surround the pirates. Pan appears and the terrified pirates flee. Tableau 3️⃣ 🧝🧝‍♀️ *Paysage du première 1er tableau, а la fin de la nuit* _(Landscape of the first 1st tableau, at the end of the night)_ 38:59 11. _Lever du jour (Daybreak)_ [155] As day breaks, Daphnis and Chloé are reunited. An old shepherd, Lammon, explains that Pan intervened in memory of his own love of the nymph Syrinx. 44:46 12. _Pantomime (Les amours de Pan et Syrinx)_ [172] The couple mime the tale of Pan's courtship of Syrinx, whom he enchanted with a flute of reeds. Before the nymphs' altar Daphnis pledges his love for Chloé. 46:16 _Très lent_ *[176]* _(the famous flute solo)_ 51:24 13. _Danse général (Bacchanale)_ [199] As they tenderly embrace, the entire company joins in a wild joyous dance. 54:56 Applause WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln WDR Rundfunkchor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor _Score rehearsal numbers are shown in_ _brackets._ [ ] _These time stamps from March 13, 2023 replace an older comment that I’m unable to delete. Those earlier time stamps are now incorrect (I don’t know what happened 🧐). Use this version._ 😎🎹

I have been listening just less than 6 min so far. I am already feeling I’m out of this world and existing somewhere else.

The depth to this orchestral work is out of this world. Ravel truly was a genius when it came to composing meaningful, versatile music.

I've heard a lot of performances of this but this is truly exceptional.

This piece is just beyond all I can conceive in music, the interpretation by the WDR Symphony Orchestra is just mind blowing. I play it again 🙂

I love this performance of Ravel’s greatest work. There is nothing in the repertoire quite like it. 😎🎹

One of the greatest pieces of music ever

I suspect the applauses from the audience went on for long after this video ends, and this orchestra and his conductor surely deserved it : this was the result of hours and hours of work to play this masterpiece as it was played. Admiration and respect to all those incredibly talented musicians !

I'm going to see this piece live January 2023 and I can't wait.

43:42 starts tachycardia, 44:15 breathless. Oh Ravel, thank you so much for this masterpiece and making us excited... It is always a journey...

Bravissimi tutti. The part "Lever du jour" (daybreak), and the finale or "Danse générale",are (objectively speaking as a musician), two of the best orchestral works ever written by a composer.

This is such a GORGEOUS performance. Good old Jukka- Pekka - Saraste.Soooo sensual. Love this conductor.

The Greatness and Splendor of cannot be overstated, and beyond description

The beauty and color of Ravel's Music is at its best here..as a composer and Orchestrator,he is unmatched by any other..

A mysterious, achingly beautiful piece of art!!!

So very beautiful. Some 'music' you want to be over, this you don't want to ever end.

best complete w chorus these 75 yo ears have ever heard thanks

Thank you for Mr.Ravel Thank you for this great performance sounds!!

Ultimate perfection in terms of composition and orchestration with a first class performance.

The camerawork/editing is superb; the music is sublime. But to me the best thing is the spirit, the orchestra's individual souls coming together to produce Ravel's beautiful work. This kind of art is up there near the pinnacle of human achievement, in a sense greater than individual achievements for the simple reason that working together is the greatest challenge facing mankind today, so it seems. What if every member of this orchestra was the leader of a country, and that to be a leader, you had to have this level of professional skill and being able to work together to create something bigger than just yourself? How many problems could be solved. That's the kind of world I'd like to live in.

An absolutely dazzling, wonderful performance

OMG‼️ Splendor, beauty, raw POWER . . . to see this many talented performers focusing their collective energies on a work of such depth & breadth “awesome” falls short as a comment, but it’s a start . . .

Never have heard the Daybreak with the choir, very cool

Some of the finest woodwind and brass playing and execution Ive heard in this virtuoso piece

始めて聞いたけれど、こんな美しい交響曲をまだ知らなかったのだと思いました。 一つの楽器が独奏したり、次には協奏したりと、変化が豊かで綺麗だ。

Ravel le génie orchestral

Interprétation de cette ouvre de Ravel absolument splendide ; quelle belle prestation de ce chef d'orchestre rarement visionné : Bravo !

Despite many years of listening, watching and playing music, I don't think I've ever heard more than a much shorter suite and usually without the choir. To hear this now, in such an obviously brilliant performance, almost makes me weep for what I have been missing. And the perfect balances that are heard in this performance, balance between the sections and soloists of the orchestra (it's unfair to pick out any one soloist, but first flute must be congratulated for brilliant phrasing and liquid cascades of notes), and the balancing of the instrumental lines in the music with the choir assist in revealing Saraste's mastery of the score. Then, after this, to imagine any part of the score being performed without the chorus, must seem like an open wound. Thank you to all for this stunning upload. I must wait for several hours to recover from this first exposure, but then, back to the thrill of this work. I don't think I've ever heard such a display of colour in the orchestration, and here, the conductor splashes and mixes the palette of colours Ravel provided, it must be, to perfection. To be able to hear such music and live to tell the tale, surely proves music to be the most profound of the arts [Somehow, I think I got carried away with some of my exuberance ! Some???]

Kudos to Ravel, Saraste, WDR orchestra/choir and excellent audio engineering/video production!!!

The lack of comments at this time may be due to a temporary deletion of the video. I remember reading very enthusiastic reviews, and mine is no less admiring. "Daphnis and Chloe" is perhaps Maurice Ravel's masterpiece. In a very prosperous period for french orchestral music, Ravel explored and exploited there, using a large number of instruments, equally numerous means of musical expression, organizing them into a composition both coherent and spectacular for the ears. The succession of soft melodies and strongly rhythmic movements, all with subtle and daring dissonances, make it a jewel of a symphonic poem. Performing this 'choregraphic symphony' (composed for the Russian Ballet) requires a large group of virtuoso musicians... and a lot of work. According to me, this german ensemble, conducted in a precise and serene manner by J.-P. Saraste, has produced a performance of remarkable quality. Audio and video recording isn't bad either!

So much light, color and emotion, Ravel was a true genius. And this was a great performance. Thanks for sharing 👍

For me it's 42.30 just as the sun has risen over the horizon of the Med., and you get the superb augmentation in the orchestra! I agree that this piece showcases Ravel's mastery of orchestration and building such a wonderful tone picture! Wonderful performance!

c'est une pièce manifique et féerique. J'ai adoré les couleurs et l'intimité du chorale. Bien fait dans l'ensemble.

Magnificent music.

I love this performance so much. I listen to it maybe 5 times a month

The modulation at 27:07 is incredible

A spectacular and singular piece of music beautifully realized. Ravel never fails to amaze and delight me.

I need to get back to my chores but I have been hipnotized by this enigmatic music. : o

Superb performance and crystal clear audio mastering; can hear every detail and instrument; thanks for sharing! Kudos!!

Breathtaking performance of a masterful piece. Gratitude.....

4:06 what is Gordon Ramsay doing here?

Perfección. Ravel estaría orgulloso.

Wonderful music, musicians and video, thanks (also, scenes from Hitchcock movies are coming to my mind... I guess Mr Herrmann owes some of his greatness to Ravel)

There are not enough words to describe the impact of joy and delight, that this wonderful performance, has produced on me! Thanks to WDR and his conductor!!!

Amazing Performance! What a cool dude of a conductor too!

Perhaps the finest selection of orchestral pieces known to man here!

Never fails to make my heart soar. Truly the best piece of music ever written

What a thrilling, awe-inspiring performance!!! I wish I could have been there!

What a remarkable performance this is. I've always preferred hearing the complete ballet rather than the suites (same for Roussel's "Le Festin d'Araignée") and this performance is one that shows me once again just WHY I prefer that.

I consider this the greatest symphonic orchestral work ever written!!! To think that besides the eternal beauty of the orchestral sound and the fact that Ravel arranged those notes, orchestrated those notes and forgot momentarily the limits of imagination and orchestral power, makes one think of deity. Why hasn't some ballet company taken up producing a video of this powerful orchestral piece with dancers is beyond me. What a horrible lack of imagination and a direct insult to the glory of Ravel's accomplishment! Let's put the Daphnis and Chloe, pirates, etc. into this orchestral powerhouse! Before I die (I am 83), I want to connect my orchestral imagination with choreography. It is time!!!!

My favorite performance of one of my favorite pieces. Magnificent!

Ravel demonstrated his capacity for large-scale music in his ballet Daphnis et Chloé, composed in 1912. This piece, written for large orchestra, was originally intended for the Russian Ballet.

22:44, Ravel anticipated the sound of what today we know as synthesizers and other electronic stuff, this with limited "analog" technology, amazing!

This is the first time for me to hear aeoliphone in an orchestral piece, works wonders.

what a bizarre and beautiful composition

Wow, this is my (new) favorite version!

With love from Belarus , Mensk !!!

Magnifique , wunderbar, excellent découpage , superbe , merci WDR !

MAGNIFIQUE

This is a very beautiful performance, can't fault the playing ... the orchestra's ensemble is flawless.

Que hino maravilhoso! Brilhante! Estou emocionada de verdade! Cadê os brasileiros que amam músicas incríveis? Só eu aqui?

Thanks for this magnificent post !

This piece, Rimsky-Korsakov’s Scheherazade, Stravinsky’s Firebird, and Rachmaninoff’s Symphonic Dances are my go-to listens that are always fresh, never tired or old-hat. Pure brilliance, especially this work!

The divisi at 24.34 is just too pretty for this world, the bass clarinet player and the flute did a well job

this would work so well as film music, just imagine a ghibli film with this music, the story practically writes itself.

What a great performance, including the video and audio registration. Pardon mi español, Desde Monterrey, México

Maurice Ravel (1875-1937) Daphnis et Chloé *(1909-12)* *Complete Ballet* 🧝Part 1️⃣ 🧝‍♀️ *A meadow at the edge of a sacred wood.* 00:36 1. *Introduction* 03:27 2. *Danse religieuse [5]* _In a grotto, a crowd of youngsters bow_ _before an altar of nymphs. Girls dance_ _around the shepherd Daphnis, kindling_ _Chloé's jealousy._ 10:55 3. *Danse générale [26]* _The cowherd Dorcon competes for Chloé's_ _attention. A dance contest is proposed_ _for a kiss from Chloé._ 12:23 4. *Danse grotesque de Dorcon [32]* _The crowd mocks the rival suitor's clumsy motions._ 14:11 5. *Danse légère et gracieuse de* *Daphnis [43]* _With a light and graceful dance Daphnis wins_ _the contest and accepts his reward._ _Daphnis and Chloé embrace. The crowd_ _withdraws with Chloé, leaving Daphnis_ _in ecstasy._ 18:10 6. *Danse de Lycéion* _Another shepherdess, Lyceion, tries to_ _entice Daphnis. Pirates attack. Chloé_ _beseeches the nymphs' protection but_ _is carried off._ 23:23 7. *Danse lente et mystérieus des* *Nymphes (Nocturne)* _Daphnis searches for Chloé but collapses_ _in despair. The nymphs come to life,_ _revive Daphnis and supplicate Pan, the god_ _of the shepherds._ 🦹‍♂️Part 2️⃣ 🦹‍♂️ *The pirate camp* 26:41 8. *Interlude [83]* _[choir a cappella]_ 28:21 9. *Introduction* 29:13 10. *Danse guerrière [93]* _The pirates exhaust themselves in a war-like_ _dance. Their chief orders Chloé to dance._ 33:58 11. *Danse suppliante de Chloé [133]* _As she dances in supplication, Chloé tries_ _to escape. As the chief carries her off,_ _fantastic satyrs surround the pirates._ _Pan appears and the terrified pirates flee._ 🧝Part 3️⃣ 🧝‍♀️ 39:33 12. *Lever du jour* _As day breaks, Daphnis and Chloé are_ _reunited. An old shepherd, Lammon, explains_ _that Pan intervened in memory of his own_ _love of the nymph Syrinx._ 45:18 13. *Pantomime (Les amours de* *Pan et Syrinx)* 46:52 _[the famous flute solo]_ _The couple mime the tale of Pan's courtship_ _of Syrinx, whom he enchanted with a_ _flute of reeds. Before the nymphs' altar_ _Daphnis pledges his love for Chloé._ 51:20 14. *Danse général (Bacchanale)* _As they tenderly embrace, the entire_ _company joins in a wild joyous dance._ 55:30 *Applause* WDR Sinfonieorchester Köln WDR Rundfunkchor Jukka-Pekka Saraste, conductor *Philharmonie Cologne* *Cologne, Germany 🇩🇪 February 19, 2016*

Choral part at 26:40 is just amazingly unique

Meravigliosa la Musica, stupendi tutti. Grazie ❤

That soft building from 5:24 to 5:50 always hits me too hard

Une orchestration extraordinaire ! Un grand maître ce Ravel

extremely enjoyable to watch and listen.

Fenomenal!!

Ravel is absolutely mind boggling as to the orchestration with the works and and all else-

AWESOME! Thanks!! :)

The writing for winds in this piece is amazing! Such enchanting music!

haunting and beautiful

Una presentación impecable, gran Orquesta y Director para esta obra maestra de Ravel. Un espectáculo extraordinario ver esta obra con las cámara siguiendo con precisión el desarrollo del concierto y la destreza de los integrantes que se ven exigidos al máximo. Tengo varias versiones de esta obra, pero esta con Saraste es lo mejor que he escuchado. Muchas gracias por subirla a WDR clásico y a RU-vid .

Magnificent!