Search - Moscow Symphony Orchestra, Jacques Ibert, Adriano :: IBERT: Diane de Poitiers / La Licorne

Two ballets by Ibert, each with a very different approach

ATP | Santa Monica, CA United States | 04/09/2002

(3 out of 5 stars)

"This CD includes the music for "Diane de Poitiers" as well as "La Licorne." I found the conventional music of "Diane de Poitiers" (written in the 1930s) more satisfying than the more modern, more discordant "La Licorne" (dating to 1948-9).

I enjoy listening to "Diane de Poitiers," but I find it difficult to visualize it as a ballet. Most of the music has the slow, stately pace of a procession; it seems more appropriate for a series of tableaux than an actual ballet. But certainly the tableaux would be very sumptuous. I particularly like the haunting, lyrical melody of "The Merchant of Electuaries." Oddly enough, there are multiple tracks for "Diane," but only a single track for "La Licorne." I found that inconvenient, since I like to replay particular sections that interest me. Perhaps that's the reason I have only a general impression that the "Licorne" music is too discordant, and somehow feels more like a film score than a ballet. My other complaint about the album is that the sound was recorded at too low a level. If I don't crank the volume way up, I miss the many quiet musical passages. (Admittedly, my CD system is modest - perhaps those with better speakers would not be affected.)

Still, it's interesting to hear two examples of early and middle 20th-century ballet music, and I'm happy to have this album in my collection."