I remember fondly the
young(er) days of discovery when I would go shopping for discs of
compilations, picking out "favourite violin concertos" or such,
only to go home and find that they were excerpts of the works, and
in one or two cases, replete with heinous cuts! These two discs,
entitled Chill with Ravel and Chill with Debussy respectively,
offer just that.
The title "Chill" might lead one to believe that they have been
"sampled" and overmixed with a Dance beat. Thankfully, Naxos have
resisted the pressure and have at least provided us with some form
of liner notes about the works (quite succint and informative
actually), and tell us where we can get the full versions, in
cases where the works aren't complete. The selections are
appropriately "chill" (laid-back, relaxed), though Ravel's
emotional effusiveness does set the mood for something for more
pensive and at least Une barque sur l'ocean is stormy
enough so that it doesn't qualify. Probably the best way to enjoy
these discs is as a pleasant selection of movements from Ravel and
Debussy's oeuvre, very well performed and recorded by Naxos'
artistes.
The selections are by no means the most often heard or even the
"greatest hits", but for both composers, their most famous works
(the Pavane for Ravel and Clair de Lune for Debussy) appear
in two guises - for piano and for orchestra. The two discs will
make for a good introduction to any beginner interested in the two
composers.
