Nocturnes
First Rhapsody
Marche Écossaise sur un thème populaire
Les Soirs Illuminés par L’Ardeur du Charbon
(orch by Colin Matthews)
La Damoiselle Élue
Sergio Castello Lopez Clarinet
Sophie Bevan Soprano
Anna Stéphany Mezzo-soprano
Hallé Choir and Youth Choir (upper voices)
Hallé Orchestra
Sir Mark Elder
Hallé HLL 7552
Full price
The Review
Sir Mark has long been an exceptional conductor of Debussy’s music. He is one of the few who convey a sense of the architecture, its overall sweep, while taking intricate care of the detail. That skill is well evident here, not only in the familiar territory of the Nocturnes but in the much more rarely performed works that make up half this disc.
The First Rhapsody for clarinet and orchestra is a delightful 8 minutes, Debussy at his most playful, that gives the Hallé’s gifted Principal a minor virtuoso scamper and could be a version of Ravel’s fawn. Originally a tough competition piece for the Paris Conservatoire, it is substantial enough to deserve a regular place in concert programmes, given the relative shortage of good clarinet and orchestra repertoire.
Debussy’s grasp of Scotland was distinctly misty so it’s not surprising that parts of his Scottish March sound, as Roger Nichols points out in the excellent notes, rather more characteristic of Russia (where he did spend some time). It’s a jolly little vignette, though. So is Colin Matthews’ elegant orchestration of the two minute piano piece only discovered in 2001, Evenings Lit By Burning Coals, a gift for Debussy’s coal merchant who had supplied him during the freezing WW1 winter of 1916/17. It’s a shame M. Tronquin never heard it in Matthews’ version. He would have been delighted.
The most imperative reason for owning this recording, though, is the magical performance of La Damoiselle Élue (words from Rosseti’s The Blessed Damozel), written in Rome when Debussy was in his early twenties. It’s gorgeous sensuality is caught effortlessly by Sophie Bevan and Anna Stéphany and Elder gives them the expressive space to relish it. This is the Hallé (orchestra and choirs) on top form.
SM