Eduard Van Beinum; Concertgebeow Orchestra - Ravel; Franck: Orchestra Works

A Franck rarity coupled with a trio of Ravel masterpieces: a valuable addition to the Eloquence series of newly remastered reissues devoted to Eduard van Beinum. Although the Dutch conductor was renowned as an exponent of Austro-German composers from Mozart to Mahler, Van Beinum was master of a wide palette of orchestral timbre which made him an ideal interpreter of French repertoire, and a worthy successor to Willem Mengelberg as music director of the Concertgebouw Orchestra: a post he held from 1945 until his early death 14 years later. Previous Eloquence releases of Van Beinum�s Berlioz (4825569) and Debussy (4646362) are distinguished by their refined, idiomatic sound, which fits the music like a glove.Composed by C�sar Franck around the same time as his more frequently heard Symphony, Psych� is an extended tone-poem, not dissimilar in mood to the Daphnis et Chlo� ballet of Ravel and also requiring a chorus in its complete form. Like most performances, this 1953 Decca recording omits the passages with chorus to make a 20-minute suite, satisfying on its own terms, and played with notable sensitivity by the Concertgebouw. Coupled on its first release with (of all things) the Seventh Symphony of Bruckner, Psych� is joined here by Franck�s ever-popular concertante work for piano, the Variations symphoniques, in a 1943 recording with Geza Anda as soloist and originally issued by Deutsche Grammophon. One of the first post-war recordings made by Decca in the Concertgebouw is still a highlight of Van Beinum�s discography: Ravel�s Rapsodie espagnole. Thanks to the conductor�s feeling for colour and fine sense of timing, this remains a flawless interpretation: no wonder that in May 1950 Gramophone described this recording, issued on two 78s, as an �outstanding issue�. Twelve years after the Rapsodie espagnole the only other recordings of orchestral works by Ravel made under Van Beinum were of Bol�ro and La valse, first issued by Philips on a 10� LP � stunning and vivid performances, now available again in a brand-new digital remastering.�This is comparatively out-of-the-way music that Van Beinum evidently loved and was expert in. The bloom on the orchestra�s tone speaks volumes for the affection the musicians have for the piece.� Gramophone, June 1988 (Psych�)�It is a tip-top performance, wide in dynamic range and thoroughly sensitive to the virtuosic demands of Ravel�s orchestration. Without question, this is the best recording we have had of this pungently evocative work.� Gramophone, May 1950 (Rapsodie espagnole)