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The Orchestre Métropolitain du Grand Montréal conjure a marvellously detailed sound world in Debussy's La Mer, shimmering and intoxicating, yet never descending to lush, vacuous Romanticism.
Debussy's trois esquisses symphoniques, completed and premiered in 1905, probably represents the composer at the peak of his inspiration. The depiction of the ocean, through potent harmony, melody and orchestration, is famously vivid across the three contrasting movements. Yannick Nézet-Séguin conducts his orchestra with a firm beat and a keen ear for Debussy's intricate orchestral writing.
There is a sweep and magnitude to the performance, with the lush Romantic melodies given space and vibrant colour, yet Nézet-Séguin is also unafraid to provide intimate, cello-dominated chamber-music textures. The work's onomatopoeic elements are clearly set out, every instrumental solo contributing to the overall scenic painting, and the orchestra in turn provide admirably secure, impassioned playing. The scrubbing strings, the twinkling harp motifs, the Allegro's bubbling woodwind all glint brightly from the orchestral foundations.
Just as Debussy's work is a symphony in all but name, Britten's Four Sea Interludes from Peter Grimes, premiered in 1945, are set out in symphonic form, the movements' operatic order rearranged to fit better into the template. One could even argue that Sunday Morning, in a sort of extended ternary form, acts as the Minuet. The performance here is involving, though an occasional textural and dynamic heaviness can lose from the music its wondrous, otherworldly quality. Sunday Morning's 'trio' section lacks an easy lyricism, so essential to contrast the spiky contours of its structural surroundings (Colin Davis strikes an admirable balance in his complete recording of Peter Grimes, available on LSO Live).
For me, the surprise joy of the disc was Pierre Mercure's Kaléidoscope of 1948, a work suggesting Debussy, Stravinsky and perhaps early Bernstein (I even heard a snatch of Tchaikovsky at one point), gorgeously scored and both melodically and harmonically warm. The performance here is rhythmically tight and sonically luxurious, with the dancing string pizzicati and effervescent woodwind particularly of note.
And to finish, Debussy's early masterpiece Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune is a model of textural clarity where many conductors and orchestras provide little more than a soupy idealistically-Romanticised haze. Overall, it's an exciting disc.
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