Aziz Shokhakimov - Ravel: Daphnis Et Chloe (CD)

The spectacular score for Daphnis et Chloé is Ravel's most ambitiously scaled work. First performed in 1912 and designated a 'symphonie chorégraphique', it runs for about an hour and calls for a large orchestra (including miniature bronze cymbals, castanets and a wind machine) and a wordless chorus as it portrays the adventures of a pair of young pastoral lovers in ancient Greece. When the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg, conducted by Aziz Shokakhimov, performed Daphnis et Chloé in concert in 2024, Résonances Lyriques admired "a euphoric soundscape", citing the "opalescent timbres... captivating unity and legato in the upper strings; controlled, noble amplitude in the lower strings; impeccable, often seemingly weightless woodwind; brass that was not so much keen-edged as embracing; multicoloured percussion... and harps that were both intense and aristocratic."

Track List:

Disc: 1

1. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Introduction
2. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse religieuse
3. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse générale
4. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse grotesque de Dorcon
5. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse légère et gracieuse de Daphnis
6. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Devant le groupe radieux que forment Daphnis et Chloé enlacés
7. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse de Lycéion
8. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Les pirates
9. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Une lumière irréelle enveloppe le paysage
10. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Danse lente et mystérieuse des Nymphes
11. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 1: Interlude
12. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 2: Danse guerrière
13. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 2: Danse suppliante de Chloé
14. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 2: Soudain l'atmosphère semble chargée d'éléments insolites
15. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 3: Lever du jour
16. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 3: Daphnis et Chloé miment l'aventure de Pan et de Syrinx
17. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 3: Chloé figure par sa danse les accents de la flûte
18. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 3: Chloé tombe dans les bras de Daphnis
19. Daphnis et Chloé, M. 57, Pt. 3: Danse générale