# Ravel's L'enfant et les sortilèges



## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

For the longest time I've considered Maurice Ravel my favorite composer, but I only discovered _L'enfant et les sortilèges_ in Fall 2019, and now it might be my favorite work by him. I was browsing the Berlin Philharmonic's Digital Concert Hall, and it was featured in a concert from September 2008 conducted by Simon Rattle, the soundtrack of which was released on EMI/Warner.

That album was good to imprint on, but I've since come to prefer Mikko Franck's 2017 Erato recording. The Maazel recording on DG is apparently considered The Reference, and I enjoyed it very much the one time I listened through, but for some reason I haven't returned to it. Wikipedia has a list of recordings that's probably closer to complete than not:


 Bour (1947 Testament) 
 Ansermet (1954 Decca) 
 Maazel (1960 DG) 
 Previn (1981 EMI/Warner) 
 Dutoit (1992 Decca) 
 Lombard (1992 Auvidis)
 Previn (1997 DG) 
 Rattle (2009 EMI/Warner) 
 Willis (2009 Naxos) 
 Ozawa (2015 Decca) 
 Slatkin (2015 Naxos) 
 Denève (2017 SWR) 
 Franck (2017 Erato) 
I'm not a musician, so I can only speak in the crudest of terms, but there are several moments, big and small, that I completely adore, and that I "check" to see if I'm going to like a recording. For example:


 (*"Bébé a été sage?"*) Around the time The Mother sings "regrettes tu ta paresse," the accompaniment is reduced to a string quartet, and you just can't stand how beautiful it is;
 (*"Keng-ça-fou, mah-jong"*) The number finishes with a duet between The Chinese Cup and The Teapot. The Teapot has a high-ish note at the end of "Ça-oh-râ," and most folks seem to "slide" up to it. The more flamboyantly they get up there, the better;
 (*"Arrière! Je réchauffe les bons"*) The Fire Aria is just magic to me. One of the things that converted me from the Rattle recording to the Franck was how well Sabine Devieilhe sings this;
 (*"Toi, le coeur de la rose"*) Lucky for you, words simply fail me here;
 (*"Danse des rainettes"*) After the flute solo, the woodwinds begin leaping like the frogs, but the violins have this gorgeous counter-melody. I prefer recordings that put the violins more forward in the balance;
 (*"La cage, c'etait pour mieux voir ta prestesse"*) This is arguably the emotional peak of the piece. The Squirrel picks up where The Dragonfly left off, and makes the most emotionally wrenching statement about the problems The Child has caused. The Child begins to turn around, and indeed, this is the last time The Child sings until the very end. Also, gotta have the most beautiful singing on "pe-ti-tes maines."
So! What are your thoughts on this piece?


 What are your favorite recordings of this music?
 What major and minor things do you look for when evaluating performances?
 Have you seen it staged live?
 Where does it rank for you in Ravel's oeuvre?


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

First of all, welcome to the Forum.

I love *L'Enfant et les Sortilèges* too, but I haven't heard that many of the recordings. The Bour is still considered the benchmark, though of course it can't compare sonically to more modern recordings. I used to have the Previn on LP. It has some wonderful singers, especially Arleen Auger as Fire, the Princess and the Nightingale, but the Child of Susan Davenny Wyner is a bit of a trial, so, when I came to replacing it on CD, I went for the Maazel, which is helpfully coupled to Ravel's other opera, *L'Heure Espagnol*, a very different but equally enjoyable piece. The Maazel is very good, but it's sixty years old now. Perhaps I should also have a more modern alternative.

I'm also fortunate enough to have seen it staged in a magical production by John Dexter and designed by David Hockney. It was given in tandem with Stravinsky's *The Nightingale*, but it was the Ravel which made the greatest effect.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

I can't comment on different recordings or live performances - that's something I don't go for in the first instance apart from certain symphony cycles and in the second I'm strictly an armchair music fan but I can safely say that _L'enfant et les sortilèges_ ranks highly with me when Ravel's works are taken as a whole (then again, most of his output does...).

Colette's delightful story has a timeless innocence which deftly avoids the pitfalls of being too moralistic and/or sentimental and Ravel's music brilliantly depicts the plethora of characters, however brief their appearances. It also seemed to be a significant work for Ravel in musical terms as it was on the cusp of his later style where there was both a sense of economy and an empathy towards the modish and, Ravel being Ravel, both strands were tastefully woven together.

Oh, the Maazel recording is the one I have, by the way...


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## Seattleoperafan (Mar 24, 2013)

elgars ghost said:


> I can't comment on different recordings or live performances - that's something I don't go for in the first instance apart from certain symphony cycles and in the second I'm strictly an armchair music fan but I can safely say that _L'enfant et les sortilèges_ ranks highly with me when Ravel's works are taken as a whole (then again, most of his output does...).
> 
> Colette's delightful story has a timeless innocence which deftly avoids the pitfalls of being too moralistic and/or sentimental and Ravel's music brilliantly depicts the plethora of characters, however brief their appearances. It also seemed to be a significant work for Ravel in musical terms as it was on the cusp of his later style where there was both a sense of economy and an empathy towards the modish and, Ravel being Ravel, both strands were tastefully woven together.
> 
> Oh, the Maazel recording is the one I have, by the way...


I have only heard it as a symphonic work, not an opera, and it is so beautiful. I would have thought it would belong in a regular classical music forum, not in an opera program. I could be wrong.


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I have only heard it as a symphonic work, not an opera, and it is so beautiful. I would have thought it would belong in a regular classical music forum, not in an opera program. I could be wrong.


It does work on stage, as I can attest from the David Hockney designed John Dexter production I saw at Covent Garden.


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## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

Seattleoperafan said:


> I have only heard it as a symphonic work, not an opera, and it is so beautiful. I would have thought it would belong in a regular classical music forum, not in an opera program. I could be wrong.


I have to guess it's not altogether "at home" in either place. In an opera house, it doesn't fill an evening. In a subscription concert, you have to engage a chorus and 8 soloists, but many of them don't have much to do.



Tsaraslondon said:


> It does work on stage, as I can attest from the David Hockney designed John Dexter production I saw at Covent Garden.


It's so cool that you got to see that. And you bring up another point that would be cool to discuss, which is what to pair it with in performance. _Ma mère l'Oye_ seems to be a popular pairing on disc and in concert, which makes sense. Apparently Maazel staged _L'enfant_ in a double bill with Weill's _The Seven Deadly Sins_, which sounds like a fun idea:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/life...n-winds-down/2011/07/24/gIQAehfDXI_story.html
https://ionarts.blogspot.com/2011/07/weill-and-ravel-at-castleton-festival.html


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## Tsaraslondon (Nov 7, 2013)

John Zito said:


> I have to guess it's not altogether "at home" in either place. In an opera house, it doesn't fill an evening. In a subscription concert, you have to engage a chorus and 8 soloists, but many of them don't have much to do.
> 
> It's so cool that you got to see that. And you bring up another point that would be cool to discuss, which is what to pair it with in performance. _Ma mère l'Oye_ seems to be a popular pairing on disc and in concert, which makes sense. Apparently Maazel staged _L'enfant_ in a double bill with Weill's _The Seven Deadly Sins_, which sounds like a fun idea:
> 
> ...


Surely it would work in a double bill with Ravel's other opera, *L'Heure Espagnol*, which at least has a much smaller cast.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

I have just two recordings of this work, the Rattle and the Maazel (the latter is the one on the Decca Ravel Complete Edition), and I enjoy both.

I haven't gone into extensive comparative listening as you have, it is interesting reading your thoughts on the work. I've liked it since I initially heard it, I find it charming and somehow distinct from Ravel's other music, yet still sounding like Ravel, if that makes sense. I think because of this uniqueness it is perhaps more polarizing than some of his other compositions.

Personally I think it is among his finest work. With Ravel it is a little difficult narrowing down what his best music is because his quality is pretty consistent. I think _L'enfant et les sortilèges_ arguably belongs in a top 5 Ravel greatest compositions list. Though it would not make my top 5 personal favorite Ravel works.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

tdc said:


> I think _L'enfant et les sortilèges_ arguably belongs in a top 5 Ravel greatest compositions list. Though it would not make my top 5 personal favorite Ravel works.


My personal top 5 favorite Ravel works are probably:

1.Piano Trio
2.Miroirs
3.Le Tombeau de Couperin
4.Daphnis et Chloé
5.Gaspard de la Nuit

I find Ravel's music for solo piano just as 'colorful' as his orchestral works. His orchestration is lauded and deservedly so, but the 'color' I think derives from his exceptional use of harmony.


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## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

tdc said:


> I think because of this uniqueness it is perhaps more polarizing than some of his other compositions.


This is interesting. What critique is on the other pole?



tdc said:


> My personal top 5 favorite Ravel works are probably:
> 
> 1.Piano Trio
> 2.Miroirs
> ...


Oh, well. If we're getting into that...


 Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
 La valse
 L'enfant et les sortilèges
 Le Tombeau de Couperin
 Daphnis et Chloé
I totally agree about the piano music. Among the stuff he subsequently orchestrated, I find myself most often reaching for the piano original. And I will confess that _Gaspard de la Nuit_ completely eludes me. I aspire to enjoy it since it's generally considered to be top-shelf Ravel, but I just don't get it.


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## elgar's ghost (Aug 8, 2010)

Tsaraslondon said:


> Surely it would work in a double bill with Ravel's other opera, *L'Heure Espagnol*, which at least has a much smaller cast.


Makes sense to me - I'd have thought that the two Ravel works would be as compatible as _Il Trittico_ or _Cav/Pag_.


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## MAS (Apr 15, 2015)

Deleted post deleted.


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## tdc (Jan 17, 2011)

John Zito said:


> This is interesting. What critique is on the other pole?


Well it is just from what I've noticed around here, the work often slips under the radar. I'm not really sure why, except the fact that it is different somehow. Maybe because it is a little more restrained in some ways? Just a guess.



John Zito said:


> Oh, well. If we're getting into that...
> 
> 
> Piano Concerto for the Left Hand
> ...


I didn't come around fully to Gaspard immediately either. It really grew on me in the last few years or so. The Pogorelich recording is the best one I've heard. I got that recording with the complete Decca box, it was then the work started really clicking with me.


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## John Zito (Sep 11, 2021)

tdc said:


> I didn't come around fully to Gaspard immediately either. It really grew on me in the last few years or so. The Pogorelich recording is the best one I've heard. I got that recording with the complete Decca box, it was then the work started really clicking with me.


Thanks for the recommendation! I'll check it out. The only Pogorelić disc I've spent time with is the one where he plays the _Valses nobles et sentimentales_. It was pretty weird, but I was into it.

I had a similar experience to you with _Shéhérazade_. The first few times I heard it, I just thought it was foggy and meandering. But this year I've been drunk on the Boulez recording with Heather Harper.


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