Repertoire: The BEST and WORST Ravel--Daphnis et Chloé (the complete ballet) 

Speaking of Jimmy Levine and Daphnis...5o years ago this month (November, 1971), Jimmy conducted the 2nd Suite with the Cleveland Institute of Music orchestra (which he had built to an astoundingly high degree of quality). During a rehearsal of the Final Dance, he asked the players for MORE speed and MORE volume, saying "When we finish, there won't be a dry seat in the house." My best friend at the time was the audio engineer of the Cleveland Orchestra, and he brought a decibel-reading device to Jimmy's next rehearsal. The decibel level of Jimmy's Final Dance was equivalent to a Boeing 707 with all engines running at 200 feet. I think that was the occasion on which the players dubbed Ravel's ballet "Deafness and Chloe"...and old joke, but worthy of repeating in this case. LR

"You can't have an orgy without castanets." That deserves a CT T-Shirt or mug.

Great video I enjoy your review and information Thank you so much

David, many thanks for discussing the Chung recording. The Chung recording was my introduction to the complete Daphnis and I fell in love with it on first hearing. It's sumptuous, exciting, very sensual, lyrical, and dramatic. Great sonics and the orchestra sounds gorgeous. Listen to the complete recording on RU-vid. It's stunningly beautiful.

Daphne Et Chloe has also been a favorite of mine since high school, the Boulez/DG has been my favorite forever, and I was so worried when I never heard his name until the end! But you list some recordings I have never heard of and I am looking forward to checking them out.

Hello there , i just discovered that Bernstein actually recorded the whole ballet instead of only the suite , and oh boy it is a ride

Monteux and Cluytens for me. The Cluytens has the edge because of the old fashioned French timbre. Great stuff.

Grew up with the Boulez Berlin recording. It is phenomenal.

Great video. Ravel ROCKS!!!!

Great survey! I'm so delighted that you like Rosenthal's Daphnis as much as I do - a wonderful performance (as is all his other Ravel and Debussy). Otherwise, big agreement about Cluytens or either of the glorious Munch RCA stereo versions (just don't ask me to choose between them). But I'm particularly happy that Rosenthal gets a serious mention - people often completely forget about his Ravel/Debussy - it's all terrific, and almost nobody else has done oddities like Debussy's Salut printemps - another reason to explore it. There was a handy box about 20 years ago on Accord that had all his Debussy and Ravel (and some other things) but I fear that's disappeared without trace. At least his Daphnis can still (just about) be found on its own.

I was at high school when the Munch BSO recording came out. Man, was I blown away by it! Instant addiction! It's also the first orchestral score I ever bought. Right with you on your top 5, to which I'd also add the Fruhbeck de Burgos recording. It's as delicious as his Three Cornered Hat! If you eat hats ... which I occasionally have to.

I just got the Boulez on DG & it completely blew me away.

As you suggested me last year..Cluytens!

Another feature of the initial release of the Dutoit Daphnis is that there was only one track on the CD!

I have two recordings with LSO , Andre Previn and Kent Nagano . The first time I have heard it, I was impressed by a radio broadcast of this fabulous music on France musique : Lorin Maazel was conducting the Orchestre Notional de France 😊

Great video, Dave! It is so nice to have one overview that covers all of the great recordings in one place, with brief commentary on each. Penguin guide, Grammophone, and every other place I have gone for reviews has always left out one of the greats and leaves me thinking, "But how does THAT (reviewer's top choice) compare to THIS? (other hugely famous performance that gets no mention at all)". I think this completeness to your overviews is something that is really nice at this stage in the game, when I have collected and heard most of the really famous ones. I want to know which really great performances are out there that I have somehow overlooked. (there is almost always SOMETHING). Thanks so much!

Gracias por el vídeo siempre me ha gustado este ballet me parece muy audaz armónicamente y refrescante. Mis elecciones (obviamente discutibles como todo) son Munch con la Sinfónica de Boston y Antal Dorati con la Orquesta Sinfónica de Minneapolis

It was interesting to hear about the resemblance between Ravel's main theme and the opening of Vaughan Williams Symphony no 5, it had never struck me. Vaughan Williams' 'Flos Campi' does show the influence of 'Daphnis & Chloé,' both with the wordless chorus and the sensual atmosphere. Your account of the Rattle concert reminds me of a bad programme of a concert I attended. It was the opening concert of the new season, in which the orchestra were doing a Beethoven cycle, so the first half finished with Beethoven no 1, the sole work in the second half was 'The Rite of Spring' in a very good performance which obliterated any memory of the Beethoven.

There is a THIRD recording of Daphnis and Chloe by Munch and the Boston Symphony Orchestra on RCA. It is an LP, LM 1893 from 1955. It’s in MONO and I have no idea whether it was released on CD. I doubt if it ever was because the other two releases were in stereo. The sound quality is superb; I recently found and played it and had a hard time telling the difference between stereo and mono. I love the score and the fantastic Munch/BSO performances.

The Manuel Rosenthal performance, even after hearing Bernstein, Boulez (New York), Cluytens, Dorati (underrated - he should have rerecorded it in stereo), Martinon, Monteux and Munch (1955), is a revelation. It is comparable to looking at an Old Master which has just been cleaned. Thank you very much for the recommendation.

Any thoughts on the 1961 live radio recording with Munch/BSO? Some people swear by it over the studio performances.

Any thoughts on one of the newer recordings, like Deneve with Stuttgart or Nezet-Seguin with Rotterdam?

The Ansermet CD has a fantastic performance (IMHO) of La Valse on the last track. Beautiful phrasing with very some tasty woodwind and brass timbres.

There’s a few of my favourites mentioned there. Yes, Munch, but I also like Ozawa’s which was my introduction to Ravel, many years ago now. Then Dutoit and Abbado. I’ll have to try the Maazel one day and the Cluytens.

I always evaluate a Daphnis recording by how well they perform the climax of the Danser Religieuse. Is an extreme fortissimo where 4 melodic lines form a polyrhythm. You have to be a really good conductor to be able to make the 4 lines audible, without sacrificing intensity.

Although the chorus only does "uh ... ah ..." it is the most difficult work I have ever sung because of the chromaticism it has.

I have a great distaste for the period instrument "HIP" performances as well. They are usually cold and astringent.

I would pay good money to read "Pancreas and Cilia." . . . but not necessarily to have it read to me.

I hear there will be an 88 cd Ansermet Stereo Decca set issued in a couple months

A big thumbs up for Monteux, Cluytens and Munch. I really like another from Boston: Haitink.

I'm being silly (and maybe a little snotty) here. I was playing through portions of the ones Dave recommended and I came across the Second Suite by Toscanini. Queued it up and immediately thought of Bolero meets Short Ride in a Fast Machine. My 2¢

Great survey. Thanks. Just ran into the Gennady Rozhdestvensky and The Moscow RTV Large Symphony Orchestra 1974 version (there's a copy on RU-vid). Sounds wonderful to me. Any opinion on this version?

The Bergen Philharmonic did a fantastic performance under Gardner at their 250th anniversary concert in 2015. It was not recorded, exept by Norwegian Broadcasting, and can be found in their arcives. What would David say about it? 🤔

I’m just curious, have you an opinion regarding the Delos CD with Gerard Schwarz conducting the Seattle Symphony?

I agree about Levine/WPO… but what do you think about his remake with the Boston Symphony live in the orchestra label? In my opinion it’s much much better.

The Rosenthal "Daphnis" is incredible - more people really should hear it. Good talk. The least sexy "Dahpnis" of all time: Haitink/Boston. Go figure! It's a performance only an un-demonstrative Lutheran could love.

I have the Monteux recording.I also have the Previn version have you any comments about this?I cannot at this late date make my mind up,Monteux takes 50 minutes and Previn 57

My money's on Myung Whun-Chung with the Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France (not with the Bastille Orchestra, I think you've also made the same mistake on your conductor-specific video but you did correct it right away there). It's got the best choir and the small details come out best in this recording (like the bird calls in 'Daybreak')

David, your take on Lenny’s N.Y. Daphnis?

You actually end up making a most compelling case for outrageously incorrect plurals of Daphnis et Chloe!

It's Daphnesses and Chloesesses, my precious!

I think Simon Rattle suffers from music schizofrenia promoted by his evolving ego. The music is secondary.

Amazing singing!!! 😏😏🤣🤣

Thanks for the nice word for Dutoit, a conductor for whom I know you don’t always feel the love. His Daphnis is indeed marvelous, and his Bolero is one of the all-time greats, too. Add in all the very nice Roussel, Honegger, etc., that he did later for Erato, and Dutoit qualifies as a not-so-guilty pleasure. (He certainly did lay a few eggs, however. His Berlioz is almost criminally snoozy.) Your daily energy is astounding, David. And anyone who’s no friend of Simon Rattle is a friend of mine!

my two favorites versions....previn lso ( emi) and....james levine vpo ( dgg) ...sorry.

I do wish more ensembles would record the suites with the choral parts added... I love the strictly orchestral version sometimes I really want to wallow

i was introduced to DAPHNIS AND CHLOE at the age of 13 by Ken Russell's soundtrack use of an excerpt of it's opening in his ISADORA: THE BIGGEST DANCER IN THE WORLD (1966). It played behind cleverly cribbed footage of nude rhythmic gymnastics and Greek temples from notorious Leni Riefenstahl's OLYMPIAD (1938) I searched that out forever because I was immediately smitten and HAD to know what that music was as it wasn't listed in the TV film's credits. One day my prayers were answered and it showed up complete on the local classical radio station. In toto, it just blew me away and I have never fallen out of love with it. Thanks to your wonderful suggestions here, I've been listening to all these different variants ( I had only Munch, Monteaux and Martinon earlier). Rosenthal is a TOTAL revelation: pure color magic. Love the Boulez/ Berlin and today the Cluytens arrived ---- OMG!!!! Many, many thanks.

Thank you so much for an excellent video, you're a total dude; Celibidache performance got me right into this piece, when originally I heard it ~2am on classic radio while inside prison, lol - and it just rocked my world. Let's just say, for those with ears to hear; this is a supreme psychedelic delicacy, turn off your electronica, chuck on Dapnis et Chloe, my lordy lord lord; the sound sculpting, shapes, emotion, its a whirlwind of spiritual beauty - thanks for this Dave, its the first video ive seen of yours, im looking forward to exploring the rest of the channel. Wishing you all the best, peace.

Charles Munch and the Boston Symphony will always be my choice as the best.

Tsss tsss... the MSO with Charles Dutoit owns this masterpiece and there is no better recording of it.

Rosenthal is the supreme performance for me. I am downright giddy that you highlighted it.

A newer release (2017), I liked Slatkin's on Naxos with the Orchestre National de Lyon, with a good sound from the Maurice Ravel Auditorium.

Cluytens! YES! It has long been my favorite recording of this great work, and the balance between chorus and orchestra is superb. I also love the Gallic sound of the orchestra. Of course the Münch, Monteux, Boulez/Berlin, Inghelbrecht and Rosenthal recordings are all terrific, but oh, that Cluytens...!

Hello friend! You got me worried for a minute (oh no, don't tell me he's forgotten Cluytens!, but you didn't). I like Monteux's, Munch"s, and Ozawa's versions a lot, but Cluytens' my favourite as well. The ideal orchestra and the ideal conductor for this marvellous music; this music is a dream, and the sonics are great. Merci Monsieur Ravel, vous avez créé, avec la fabrique même du rêve, un univers complet, aussi grand qu'une bulle de savon

My fav is the second Munch, so much so that I had a colleague mail the CD to me from Japan when it became available there many years ago while the US had only the 1955 version available. Much to my "horror" though, JVC cut 2 bars out!!! Yes, where the original "side-flip" was, 2 bars were missing! It took me a while to restore them using the new CD and my still-on-the-shelf LP, but I did it! I wonder if they ever went back and restored those missing measures (The 2 bars before Reh 93 for those with a score.)

On LP my choices were Munch (I think the 1962) and Ansermet. Now on CD it’s Dutoit and Boulez/Berlin, both of which give me enormous pleasure. But, like you, I can’t listen to the work very often.

Disappointing that I can't find Ozawa/Boston anywhere. I listened to Chung/Bastille for the first time and it's much better than I expected.

I got the Dutoit LP at a library sale in high school and treasure it to this day

Thanks I may get rid of the LSO Previn,I bought it when it first came out when there was not so much choice

Ozawa/Boston is peerless imo. The orchestra just nails the articulation, especially the E-flat clarinet in the bacchanale

I agree with pooping on Levine's VPO performance, but I thought he rather redeemed himself with the BSO 2008 recording on the orchestra's label... Maybe not the best, but I think as least as good as Abbado's...

I feel like some of the early influences of the minimalist style were in those repetitive figures in this work (or maybe not).

Dear David: I really like Hatink's interpretation with Bonston '89 Philips label. For years my reference had been Kondrashin and the Concertgebow.

Even if it doesn't matter , I love Rosenthal 's Ravel set

Hi David, I'm surprised you did not mention Levine's live Boston recording from 2008 on SACD (and CD). It is simply orgasmic, especially in the incredibly sumptuous surround sound which is one of, if not, the best recorded Daphnis I have heard.

Interesting you mentioned the tenous Vaughan Williams' similarities as I believe he studied with Ravel briefly. I got to know Daphnis through Maazel's Decca version then Dutoit's (as many of us did in the early days of CD). Would also like to give a shout out for Mata's RCA version with the Dallas Orchestra sounding particularly fine.

The Munch/BSO recording I have was the one issued in the Basic 100 series. Does anyone know if it's the 1955 or 1961 recording?

Hi Dave! I’m wondering if there is/are (a) particular version(s) of the Daphnis and Chloe suites you’d recommend (preferably on one disc). And yes, dawn is lovely-but why the hell is the second suite so often recorded in the absence of the first? The version I’ve had for a long time is Maazel with Vienna, but I suspect I’m missing something wonderful somewhere. That said, I do prefer the whole ballet-with the chorus. Good lord, Maestro Rattle!