Eastern European orchestras often have an affinity for French music, and the PKF-Prague Philharmonia (awkwardly named, it's true) is in its element here, led by French conductor Emmanuel Villaume. Buyers might pick this album based on any one of the three compositions, and the group of strong performances of all three makes it really notable. The main attraction comes first, in the form of the orchestral version of Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye Suite, or Mother Goose Suite, whose humor is effectively rendered. The rarest of the ...
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Eastern European orchestras often have an affinity for French music, and the PKF-Prague Philharmonia (awkwardly named, it's true) is in its element here, led by French conductor Emmanuel Villaume. Buyers might pick this album based on any one of the three compositions, and the group of strong performances of all three makes it really notable. The main attraction comes first, in the form of the orchestral version of Ravel's Ma mère l'Oye Suite, or Mother Goose Suite, whose humor is effectively rendered. The rarest of the three pieces is the Fantaisie for piano and orchestra of Debussy, the composer's only work for piano and orchestra. It's from early in Debussy's career, in the classical three-movement form, and the trick, expertly executed by pianist Andrew von Oeyen, is to catch the incipient mature Debussy bubbling under the surface. Sample the first movement, where all the student moves to a new theme are in place, but the music then stalls as Debussy begins to realize the possibilities of stasis....
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