Les animaux modèles

"This album was recorded in March 2022, and its conductor, Bramwell Tovey, died in July 2022. Chandos Records has dedicated this recording to his memory, and indeed it makes a fine memorial. Tovey and the BBC Concert Orchestra capture the spirit of each piece, and the splendid surround sound engineering captures the musicians' work with great fidelity. The repertoire on this disc is - to be frank - mostly Poulenc of the second rank. His best orchestral music is probably found in his concertante works, and he is valued by most music lovers for his writing for the voice ... That said, that is precisely why this might be such a useful collection, since it is likely to plug gaps even for those with a number of favourite Poulenc recordings on their shelves ... This is an excellent disc of some lesser-known Poulenc, very well performed and recorded".

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"Editor's choice - November 2022: What would turn out to be the British conductor's final recording is a joyous, often deliciously irreverent affair, testifying to his sense of fun and acute ear for orchestral colour: there's something to make you smile in practically every bar of Les Animaux modèles (which really deserves to be as widely known and loved as Saint-Saëns's more popular musical menagerie), and the two short excerpts from Les mariés de la Tour Eiffel are marvellously uproarious".

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"A rare outing for Poulenc's delightful, tune-filled ballet score ... The Turin players match the Parisians every step of the way with their incision, sure-footedness and sheer panache".

"This anthology has acquired unexpected resonance in the wake of its conductor's death. Chandos collaborated with Bramwell Tovey for more than a decade and the music-making has his trademark naturalness and good humour. Not the most obvious farewell, perhaps, but in its avoidance of pomp and solemnity none the worse for that".