L'heure espagnole

"Ravel had ambitions to compose five operas, but only two came into being; L'heure espagnole (1911) and L'enfant et les sortilèges (1926) ... Ravel's orchestration is a marvel of precision and colouring. Stravinsky once famously called Ravel "a Swiss watchmaker" and there is a lot of truth in that. The crisp playing of Les Siècles on period instruments further enhances this impression ... The heaviest burdens rest on the shoulders of Thomas Dolié (Ramiro) and Isabelle Druet (Concepción). Both have long experience of their roles from stage performances, but their colleagues are also well inside their roles ... Anyway, no one interested in these two works will feel short-changed by their acquisition".

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"Recording of the week: The all-Francophone cast is uniformly terrific, not least because everyone's so mindful of Ravel's stipulation that (with one exception) all of the performers should 'speak more than sing' their roles ... That they never feel the need to overplay the sensuality or the broad comedy of the score is due in no small part to the fact that Roth and Les Siècles (performing on instruments from around the turn of the century) supply so much colour and character from the pit".

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"Editor's choice: L'heure espagnole is the main work on the latest disc in François-Xavier Roth's Ravel series ... As in previous releases, the orchestral playing is exquisite, the strings silky, woodwinds perfumed, the trumpets (1930s Selmers) sweetly tangy, the trombones suggestively louche ... Roth has gathered a superb francophone cast, led by Isabelle Druet".

"Leonard Slatkin conducts with admirable delicacy, with a nice attention to detail ... Isabelle Druet expresses Concepción's frustration and impatience so vividly that you almost forget that you can't see her ... The ever-helpful Ramiro, more brawn than brain, is touchingly sung by Marc Barrard. The entire cast is excellent, in fact, but Frédéric Antoun's absurd, self-regarding poet deserves a special mention".