{"product_id":"irving-massenet-ballet-music-from-le-cid-1952-pasc037","title":"IRVING Massenet: Ballet Music from Le Cid (1952) - PASC037","description":"overviewfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eMASSENET \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003eLe Cid: Ballet Music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eRec\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eorded\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003e in 1952\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 12px;\"\u003eDuration 18:08\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eLondon Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003eConductor:\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 16px;\"\u003e Robert Irving\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_titlefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fBill Rosen's Review578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_quotefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fIt is really very, very good578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9review_bodyfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp class=\"style17\" align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eI don't much care for Massenet. In\nspite of his gifts of melody, it seems to me that he shrinks everything\ndown to the size of the French 19th century bourgeoisie, whose\nparamerters are: a good but small gain at the bourse, a good look up the\nskirt of the girl who brings coffee, a good nap through the cure's\nsermon and a good heavy Sunday afternoon meal. Even in El Cid, which is\nan opera about the great Spanish warrior who stopped the advance of the\nMoors, Massenet plays down the drama of the encounter and is only mildly\nexciting in the love scenes.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"style17\" align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eBut something happened to him in\nthe ballet music. It is really very, very good. Perhaps, like many\nFrench composers, the proximity to Spain gave him some fresh\ninspiration. There are many good tunes and exciting rhythms and the\npiece never flags. Some of this is no doubt due to Robert Irving, a\ngreat ballet conductor. Much is due to the very clear, undistorted\nsonics achieved by Pristine Audio. If you want an uncomplicated 35\nminutes full of charming incident and melody, this will do quite well.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp class=\"style17\" align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eIs Massenet off my bad list? By no means. Anyone who could write the \"Meditation\" from \"Thais\" has much to answer for.\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9main_samplefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fsamples\/PASC037.mp3578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fProducer's Note578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcontent578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eMassenet is perhaps one of those unfortunate composers destined to be known cheifly for one work - in his case the opera Manon - despite having been one of the more prolific French opera composers. As Decca's original sleevenotes for this recording pointed out:\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv align=\"center\"\u003e\n\u003ctable style=\"width: 90%;\" cellspacing=\"0\" cellpadding=\"8\" border=\"0\"\u003e\n\u003ctbody\u003e\n\u003ctr\u003e\n\u003ctd\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e...many of his works have been forgotten or, at best, remembered only for certain excerpts. Le Cid comes into this category, for performances of the complete opera are rare, although the ballet from it still retains its hold on the affections of the public. Justly so, for the music is tuneful, vivid and exotic...\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/td\u003e\n\u003c\/tr\u003e\n\u003c\/tbody\u003e\n\u003c\/table\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eWell that was the status quo in 1952. Alas it seems that Massenet's flame burns even dimmer some 54 years later - a check in The Gramophone catalogues of the 1950s against 2005 reveals even fewer recordings of the ballet music currently on the catalogue than in the earliest days of the LP.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eThis is a huge shame, for this music is exactly as those sleevenotes describe, and surely deserves greater airing. Take a listen to our example below, the opening part of seven, entitled \"Castillane\", a lively dance in 6\/8 time bedecked with castanets evoking a real Spanish fiesta. \u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eThe opera, premièred in Paris on 30th November, 1885, is set in 12th century Spain, and based on a tragedy written by the French author Piere Corneille about at famous knight and warrior of the time known as \"Le Cid\". Of the four acts, the ballet comes in the second scene of Act 2, set on a fine spring day as a cast of townspeople, peasants and young engaged couples are celebrating in the Great Square of Burgos with a series of dances from the provinces of Spain.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003eTake a listen closely too, and you'll hear the fine art of Peter Harrison's immaculate remastering work, surely a masterpiece in its own right. Any sense of this coming from \"an old record\" is entirely lost as the magic of this musical performance is brought shining through.\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab1_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fFull Track Listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5ftrack_listing578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-size: 18px;\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eMASSENET \u003c\/b\u003eLe Cid: Ballet Music\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eLondon Symphony Orchestra\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp align=\"left\"\u003e\u003cb\u003e \u003c\/b\u003eConductor:\u003cb\u003e Robert Irving\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Geneva,Arial,Helvetica,san-serif;\"\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003eRecorded: 14th - 16th July, 1952, Kinsgway Hall, London\u003cbr\u003e Released as Decca LP LXT 2746 and London LP LL 651\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003eMatrix numbers: ARL.2155-1A, ARL.2156-2A\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cspan style=\"color: #000000; font-family: Arial,Helvetica,sans-serif;\"\u003eDuration 18'08\"\u003c\/span\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab2_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_labelfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fCover Art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_typefb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcover_art578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_contentfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/thumbs\/PASC037.jpg578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_thumbnail2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_cover_download_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5fcovers\/PASC037.pdf578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample1_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample2_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample3_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample4_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample5_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f578a9379d1e540bd96d26f03a79628d9tab3_sample6_s3_locationfb55cd020f0643f08418183279e63a5f","brand":"Pristine Classical","offers":[{"title":"Mono 16-bit FLAC","offer_id":54932277887315,"sku":"ido1789301525337","price":9.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true},{"title":"320kbps Mono MP3","offer_id":54932277920083,"sku":"zkf1789301525338","price":8.25,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1068\/1833\/9155\/files\/irving-massenet-ballet-music-from-le-cid-1952---pasc037_1.jpg?v=1789301532","url":"https:\/\/vendnora.com\/products\/irving-massenet-ballet-music-from-le-cid-1952-pasc037","provider":"luckagni","version":"1.0","type":"link"}