GABRIEL PIERNE: Cydalise et le chevre-pied – Metz Cathedral Vocal College/Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra/David Shallon – Timpani

by | Nov 18, 2009 | Classical CD Reviews | 0 comments

GABRIEL PIERNE: Cydalise et le chevre-pied – Metz Cathedral Vocal College/Luxemburg Philharmonic Orchestra/David Shallon – Timpani 1C1174, 73:39 [Distr. by Qualiton] *****:

This is the recording premiere of a wonderful French ballet score. As an organist and conductor of many new works, Pierne was a champion of French art in both the academic and avantgarde areas.  He conducted the premieres of Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloe in 1911, as well as Stravinky’s Firebird, from which he got the idea of creating a full-length ballet along similar lines. These creations of Diaghilev’s Ballets Russes employed groundbreaking lush orchestrations and idealised evocations of antique or ancient scenes in their stories and costumes. Pierne used five percussionists, piano, harpsichord and celesta, six flutes and three piccolos – as well as Ravel’s wordless choir – in Cydalise.

Pierne complete the score in 1914 but it was another eight years before the first performance occurred, due to WWI and several other delays. The composer drew two orchestral suites out of the score which have received some performances and recordings, but this is the very first recording of the complete ballet. The libretto allows for multiple historical-stylistic references. Similar in many ways to Daphnis et Chloe, it involves old fauns, a fauns and nymphs school, Cupid, and the ballerina Cydalise. It might be summarized as The Faun and the Dancer.

The ballet is divided into two acts and three tableaus.  The first concerns primarily the school for the fauns and nymphs, the second presents Cydalise and the faun Styrax, who has become attracted to her.  Most of this tableau is a little ballet within the ballet, titled Ballet de la Sultane des Indes.  In the final tableau Cydalise is pricked by a magic arrow that makes her love Styrax, but just as they near consumation of their love, the faun is lured back to nature by the other mythical creatures and comes to his senses.

This delightful score is almost a second Daphnis et Chloe, and since the first is my personal favorite Ravel work, I’ll treasure the Pierne ballet.  The orchestral sound is well-engineered for standard CD.

 – John Sunier

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