Debussy: Noctures, Images, Jeux, Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien

Decca collected a significant portion of Debussy's orchestral works in a bargain priced 4CD-box, three discs of which are devoted to Charles Dutoit's 1990s recordings with this Montreal orchestra of the time. The final disc contains a heterogeneous mixture of shorter pieces sampled from recordings by Haitink, Chailly and Ansermet. The collection is not complete as it misses out on the Rhapsodie pour clarinette and the two Danses, for example. But it includes less obvious works such as the Boîte à Joujoux and the symphonic pieces from Le Martyre (both by Dutoit).

I was curious to hear these recordings as I assumed that Dutoit would have a handle on this particular repertoire. In his best recordings with the Montreal orchestra he was able to summon a glowing aura of Gallic precision, refinement, abundance and agility (not in the least helped by Decca recordings that were fully in tune with the spirit pervading these readings). It's a vibe that is bound to paint an indulgent smile on a listener's face. These Debussy recording did, unfortunately, not fully convince me. Not that the music making is unsatisfactory, but there's a coolness and matter of factness to the proceedings that I find unusual for this combo. I've listened umpteen times to the Nocturnes over the past months and I can safely say that they will never become my favourite pieces. They just leave me rather indifferent. And Dutoit and his Montreal band didn't change this at all. The full set of Images were already a good deal more interesting, but there was nothing particularly outstanding here. There's a point where I'm always particularly attentive to which is the transition from Iberia's Parfums de la nuit to the Matin d'un jour de fête. Debussy mentioned about this that in his mind it sounded as if it wasn't composed at all. Well in the Dutoit reading there was very little of the evanescence that Debussy would expect. It all sounds rather prosaic, reinforced by an indifferent recording ambience. With Jeux I became slightly more enthusiastic. It's an analytic and bracing reading which goes well with this particular piece. It's always amazing to try and keep track of the caleidoscopic succession of motives, most of them just a few bars long, and to realize that it all adds up to a very compelling whole! Finally, the four symphonic extracts from Le Martyre de Saint Sébastien. For me these pieces remain some of the most compelling music Debussy ever wrote (which doesn't make me much of a Debussyist, I guess). Certainly a lot better than the lacklustre version by Salonen and the LAPO but Dutoit's reading did not match the otherworldly atmosphere that Wand is able to conjure.