The French Touch: Orchestral Works by Ravel, Satie and Faure - Charles Gerhardt

The French Touch:
01. Erik Satie (arr. Debussy) - Gymnopédies for Orchestra - No. 1 [3'06]
02. Erik Satie (arr. Debussy) - Gymnopédies for Orchestra - No. 2 [3'43]
03. Gabriel Fauré - Pavane, op.50 [5'44]
04. Maurice Ravel - Introduction and Allegro for harp, flute, clarinet and strings * [10'26]
05. - 08. Maurice Ravel - Le tombeau de Couperin [17'01]
09. Maurice Ravel - Pavane pour une infante défunte [6'36]

David Watkins- harp, William Bennett- flute, Tom Kelly- clarinet *; National Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Charles Gerhardt

RCA [Sony] G010003519247Z  [recorded 1977?; RCA LP release 1978 - digital download released 2016]

[digital download; flacs, cover scan, no booklet]

Recording venue: probably Kingsway Hall, London
Recording engineer and Producer: Kenneth Wilkinson

Discographic information on this recording is in very short supply. Even the record label is confused - allegedly this download is a Sony release but the only documentation that came with it, the cover clearly shws this as an RCA Red Seal release.

The recording was made around the time that "Chuck" Gerhardt was producing and Decca's Kenneth Wilkinson was engineering so many fine recordings for Reader's Digest and film scores for RCA. Gerhardt was also an excellent conductor but only did so in the studio, not at public concerts. Here his production role was turned over to Wilkinson. The  "pick-up" orchestra, National Philharmonic, put together by Sidney Sax and containing many of London's top musicians, appeared on many of those releases and also, of course, for many of Decca's own issues. I don't know for sure but the acoustic of the recording venue sounds much like the late-lamented Kingsway Hall.

The choice of music is well made and most is very familiar but it's not all "warhorses". The version of Ravel's Introduction and Allegro used here, for instance, is the seldom heard one 'for harp, flute, clarinet and strings'. This issue lists the two Gymnopédies as No.1 and No.2 rather than the more usual No.1 and No.3.

Splendid recorded sound - as you would expect from this team.

Download from MEGA.