The dance begins at sunrise, as French-Canadian conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin leads the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra into the “Lever du Jour” section of Maurice Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé – Suite No. 2. The journey is gorgeous and atmospheric, with the sun fast rising over a hazy landscape until it bursts forth in full splendor (and top volume). It’s a far cry from Herbert von Karajan’s sunrise, in which every rustle and twitter is highlighted as though the sun prefers to shine on one blade of grass or a single flitting bird at a time. Nézet-Séguin dispenses with the magnifying glass, and dives in whole. For listeners who can let themselves go, and allow the music to simply wash over them, this CD is a gorgeous romp.
From refinement we glide headfirst into Valses nobles et sentimentales. One minute we’re whirling around, the next minute lolling in sensual reverie. The conductor seems as comfortable with the perfumed refinement of the third movement, “Modéré,” as he is dancing up a storm in parts of “Moins vif.”
Concluding with Ravel at his diaphanous best, the work serves as a perfect prelude to the sinister, stealthlike opening of Nézet-Séguin’s whirlwind rendition of La Valse. We begin to feel tipsy, as the music grows topsy-turvy, off-kilter, saturated with color. Dragged around the floor yet never losing his balance, Nézet-Séguin has a ball. There’s more than a fair share of sly humor here, and just enough of sinister decadence to suggest that our dance partner has more than waltzing on his or her mind. It’s a performance that you feel no need to compare with anyone else’s; it satisfies fully as it is.
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Ma Mère L'Oye No. 5, Laideronnette...
Ma Mère l’Oye (Mother Goose) brings enchantment. The first bird-chirps may be a little aggressive, yet the landscape is as pastoral as they come. The orientalism of “Laideronnette, Impératrice des pagodes” is all joy and light, and a far cry from the frightening scenario of Puccini’s Turandot. The liner notes list several of the five movements in the wrong order — they’re correct on the iTunes readout, should you be listening on your computer — but Nézet-Séguin knows where he’s going. The finale, aka “Apothéose: Le Jardin féerique,” is beautiful, warm, and transporting. What a wonderful world the composer and the conductor lead us into! The ending is glorious, the Rotterdam Phil ablaze with color and light.