The orchestral scores of Claude Debussy are like laboratories for experimentation with sound. Sonorities are microscopically investigated, the properties of new combinations are discovered and allowed to follow their own laws, and volatile materials are set loose to wreak havoc within a controlled environment. Live performances of these works bring a special dynamism, and it is this excitement that marks the recordings of 'Jeux' and 'La mer' by the Vienna Philharmonic under Lorin Maazel on this disc. The surging waves and radiant sunrise of 'La mer' are overpowering here, and the capriciously shifting colors, rhythms and harmonies of the ballet score 'Jeux' are captured wonderfully. Percussion and harp are unusually vivid, and orchestral precision is mostly admirable throughout despite the tumultuous intensity of the live performances. Moving from the concert hall to the studio, Debussy's earlier 'Nocturnes' are heard in an almost equally vibrant performance. "Fêtes" in particular is thrilling, taken at maximum tempo, and in the closing "Sirènes" the women of the Schoenberg Choir blend beautifully with the orchestra in their wordless song. REVIEWS: American Record Guide (1-2/00, pp.85-86) - "...Maazel and the [Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra] are a panacea, a timely reassurance that all's right in the world of music. Conductor and orchestra consider every detail and make it their own, and the playing itself is beyond compare..." Fanfare (1-2/00, pp.235-236) - "...from the standpoint of ravishing tone and orchestral balance, these performances are on the highest level....In 'La Mer' one is once again delighted by the profusion of detail, but the performance seems just a shade too methodical and deliberate..."
