Clever though it may be of the technical boys to produce recordings with the widest possible dynamic range, what sensible or musical purpose is served by bringing pianissimos so close to the threshold of audibility that they necessitate stepping up the volume control to a level that then makes fortissimos not merely unbearable but dangerous? You think I am exaggerating? Let me quote from the booklet in front of me: ''Telarc digital compact discs, especially those containing substantially wide dynamic range, will present an extraordinary challenge to all stereo systems. Certain components—even the finest—may have problems with the most demanding passages. Damage could result to speakers or other components if the musical program is played back at excessively high levels.'' (No mention of human eardrums, you notice, since in this ghetto-blaster age premature deafness is apparently regarded as inevitable.)
Which said, let me simply report that, at normal listening levels tonal climaxes on this new Telarc are superbly rich and full-blooded, without the least trace of congestion or distortion, and that those unfamiliar with the detail of La valse or Bolero may not be immediately aware that the piece has started. The Cincinnati SO for the most part contribute distinguished performances of this much-played repertoire, a good half of their programme having a Spanish flavour, to which Lopez-Cobos is naturally well attuned. His Rapsodie espagnole is outstanding, with subtle shadings of the ostinato figure in the Prelude, a real air of mystery in what is perversely called the Habanera (some people will never learn!), and, among other things neatly articulated trumpet tuckets in the Feria. Alborada del gracioso is given with a fine sense of colour (only the very first oboe solo sounding too distant) and vivid tonal contrasts: Bolero, however, is less successful, taken just a whisker too slowly, with instruments somewhat self-consciously over-phrasing, and not building up tension very convincingly. On the Viennese front, Lopez-Cobos secures a most attractive buoyant lightness in the Valses nobles et sentimentales and is a model of elegance in La valse—but it was surely a misjudgement to place these two works one after the other.
It is instructive to study the parallel performances on the Martinon discs, which were originally greeted slightly guardedly by RO but with enthusiasm by RL. The Valses nobles et sentimentales have sensitive nuances and marked changes of mood (Lopez-Cobos shows an inclination towards greater continuity of atmosphere), though fortissimos are rather shrill—though not as harshly noisy as in La valse, the least well recorded of this set. Bolero is admirably paced and moulded, and the Rapsodie extremely lucid if not the most atmospheric (with too effortful a Habanera). Of the other works, the aggressiveness at the start of the Menuet antique seems uncalled-for, and the rambling nature of that exotic rarity, the Overture to Ravel's early projected opera (otherwise available on disc only from Boulez), explains his decision to leave it unpublished. But the gem of the Martinon set is the complete Daphnis ballet—a reading of delicacy, voluptuous languor, cleanly focused energy and excitement which must rank high among performances of this magically sensuous score. At medium price this particular disc is warmly recommendable.'