Ever since her outstanding Satie recital for Virgin (5/89) I have looked forward to hearing Anne Queffelec in the finest French masters; in Debussy, Faure and Ravel. Alas, success with Satie's quaint whimsy and archaism is a limited attribute when set against a comprehensive command of Ravel's pianistic intricacy and subtlety. And although Queffelec is both vivacious and affectionate in classic French style, her playing is too brightly lit, too limited in colour to suggest the more interior qualities of Ravel's work. Yet having said that there is also much to admire.
Spare pedalling and a light detache touch in the ''Prelude'' from Le tombeau creates a special sense of Ravel's vif, of verve and brilliance, and the final pages of the ''Fugue'' wind down with an engaging sympathy for its musical-box character. Queffelec finds a true oasis of calm in the ''Menuet'', and her ''Toccata'' commences with exceptional resilience and articulacy. But in Miroirs her ''Noctuelles'' are hardly pianissimo and at 1'00'' and later, at 4'16'', the melodic outline lacks lucidity, is submerged by too much left hand chatter. Again, ''Une barque sur l'ocean'' commences with a magical sense of fluidity but the tremolandos which preface each foam-crested wave are less than ideally clear. Repeated notes in ''Alborada'' as in the ''Toccata'' from Le tombeau, buzz and snap with great aplomb but much of the Menuet antique is strenuous with some awkward negotiation of several unpianistic corners. All in all you will hear greater imaginative scope and luminosity from both Jean-Yves Thibaudet (Decca) and Louis Lortie (Chandos) on their complete sets, while Gordon Fergus-Thompson on ASV commences his cycle with an intriguing poetic freedom and luxuriance.'