These live recordings were made at several Roman and Parisian venues in 2012, released in 2013 on the small label
Musicales Actes Sud
and reissued in 2022 on
Harmonia Mundi
. It may seem surprising that something like a historically oriented performance of
Debussy
would merit the reissue treatment, but
Les Siecles
has only grown more popular in the intervening years. The shades generated by the group's period winds undeniably throw a new light on
and other French composers from the years on either side of 1900. The
Premiere suite d'orchestre
, a very early
work, continues to be a rare find on recordings; among the works by the student
, this suite anticipates the mature composer most vividly. Sample the "Reve" or the "Cortege et Bacchanale" movements, which begin almost in stasis before retreating to more usual modulations. In
La Mer
, the gut strings and period winds of
generate completely fresh textures; the "waves" of the middle movement have a striking immediacy here.
doesn't seem to have done much remastering, but the original sound was clear and detailed, qualities that were retained. Highly recommended to those who missed this the first time around, or simply to those interested in
and their pioneering historical performances of 20th century music. ~ James Manheim