Rafael Payare and the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal have won praise from François Hudry at Qobuz for their new PENTATONE album, which pairs Ravel’s Daphnis et Chloé with Stravinsky’s Le sacre du printemps, two works commissioned by Diaghilev for the Ballets Russes.
Hudry finds Payare’s Le sacre du printemps refined and almost romantic, led with colour, edge and rhythmic fire. He notes that the conductor treats the work not as a stylistic rupture but as part of a natural continuity, drawing out its melodic and incantatory moments with a deep sense of mystery and linking it to L’Oiseau de feu. In Daphnis et Chloé, a ballet rarely recorded in its entirety, he writes that Payare and the Montreal musicians take on the complete score with relish, never letting the tension falter, and blend power and lyricism throughout. He also singles out the vigorous choir for enriching Ravel’s orchestral palette.
Read the full review on Qobuz.
