Unsung Debussy : L'isle joieuse in orchestral version.

[alberto]

It is on Naxos 8.572568, Debussy Orch. works vol.5, Jun Markl, Orch.National de Lyon.
It's the first time I could listen to L'isle joieuse (1904) in the orchestration by Bernardino Molinari. The notes say "orchestrated with the composer's approval". The apparently impossible task appears to me cleverly fulfilled: glorious listening.
(I know there existed a Cala recording, never seen or met). Molinari was the revivalist of Vivaldi Four seasons (in his own realisation) and author of the first recording in 1942. By the way he premiered (in the world) Respighi Pines and Barber First Symphony.
The very interesting CD contains two more gems: Pagodes from Estampes (orch. Caplet; I own a previous Cybelia CD recording, dedicated to Caplet). And La soirée dans Grenade orch. by Busser (not the Stokowsky, rather well known).
Remaining works: La boite a joujoux (orch.Debussy and Caplet): a weakish work by Debussy standards.
Six épigraphes antiques orch. by Ansermet: great music. An early Triomphe de Bacchus (orch. Gaillard), known trough an old De Froment recording.
I wait still further rarities from this valuable series (I don't know which ones). Anyway are still lacking at least the Petit Suite (orch.Busser), the two Rhapsodies and the Fantasie for Piano and orch.: not "sung" Debussy.
Still about "impossible" orchestration. Does anybody know Marius Constant's orchestration of Gaspard de la nuit?
I have a CD recording (1990) of the (to me esoteric) label Melodibank (?) , conducted by L.Petitgirard (who conducted the work in a concert I attended to).

[albion]

Alberto, have you heard Colin Matthews' orchestrations of the complete Preludes?



HALLÉ CD HLL 7527

These are highly successful 're-imaginings' of the originals and are beautifully played and recorded.   

[alberto]

Thanks Albion.
I know  the orchestral versions by C.Matthews only of "Ce qu'a vu le vent de l'ouest", "Feuilles morts" and "Feux d'artifice" (S.Rattle, BPO, EMI, 2005): and I like them.
I knew the existence of the Hallè Debussy CD, but that is a label very difficult to find in Italy (I have just Elgar Second Symphony coupled to Introduction and Allegro and a Shelley sonnet read by Sir Mark Elder).
I must confess I am quite lazy about buying through the web.

[albion]

Hi Alberto, if you can't obtain the CD, there is an mp3 download version of the Halle Preludes recording available through amazon: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Colin-Matthews-Debussy-Preludes-Postlude/dp/B003XN94DU/ref=sr_shvl_album_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1300906103&sr=301-1. 

[alberto]

Thanks again, Albion!
I'll try to get the Hallè label CD.

[TerraEpon]

There's also a completely different set or orchestrated Preludes on Talent:
http://www.arkivmusic.com/classical/Drilldown?name_id1=2887&name_role1=1&label_id=1377&bcorder=61&comp_id=864

It's fantastic, though unsurprisingly is quite different than the Halle one. Obviously Matthews is a bigger "name" than Luc Brewaeys (who I believe is the owner of Talent records), but both sets are equally worthwhile. It's kinda unfortunate that it costs so much though (as the review mentions, the timing is barely over that of a single disc).

Incidently, I for one would recommend the two individual Halle discs over the 2fer -- you get very good recordings of La Mer and Jeux in addition. But if you really don't need thos, I guess the Preludes alone are fine.

Also, going back to the OP, I own the Cala disc (and its companion disc). They are both pretty good, especially the Grainger orchestrations of Bruyeres and Pagodes.