Ravel: Orchestral Works (Andre Cluytens) (LP, Warner)

This LP includes three of Maurice Ravels masterpieces, the Bolero, La Valse and the Rapsodie espagnole The recordings where painstakingly remastered in 24-bit/96kHz sound from original tapes for the Cluytens Edition made in 2017 Andre Cluytens, the Belgian-born French conductor, was especially associated with France and French music of the 19th and early 20th centuries. His transcendental recordings of Ravels complete orchestral works, made in the early 60s with the Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire, are true moments of enchantment and exquisite refinement. The respected record critic Robert Layton has described Cluytens as a conductor unconcerned with imposing his own ego on the score; he illuminated the way rather than got in the way. His refined musicianship and unfailing taste shine through all the recordings he has left us.