Japanese remastered reissue of 1961 album. Packaged in a limited edition miniature LP sleeve.

Pierre Boulez made his early reputation as a Debussy conductor, and with good reason. Debussy's reputation as a musical "impressionist" led most people to think of him as a sort of musical Claude Monet—all blurry outlines and fuzzy images—but Boulez changed this perception, bringing an analytical clarity and razor-sharp definition to the composer's musical mosaics. What he has achieved in this second series of Debussy recordings is an additional naturalness and spontaneity of expression. The Cleveland Orchestra is the ideal vehicle for this sort of interpretation, being perhaps the most technically precise band in the world. The result is just about perfect. — David Hurwitz

The Berlin Philharmonic never has had much opportunity to play Ravel, which is a pity because under Pierre Boulez they do it extremely well. Under their current music director, Claudio Abbado, the orchestra more often than not sounds positively comatose. How gratifying then, that with a dynamic conductor and music that's fun to play, they rouse themselves to sound like the world-class ensemble they really can be when they're not resting on their laurels. Boléro is really smashing, with a knockout final cadence, and the solo players in all of these works cover themselves with glory. This is a great Ravel disc. —David Hurwitz

Stravinsky did three orchestral versions of his famous ballet, The Firebird (1910). The two that are mostly played today are a shorter version arranged in 1945, which is about 30 minutes long, and the original ballet suite, which is more than 45 minutes long. This is that version. The extended repeats and transitional material, in the right hands, give the whole work a decidedly spectral character. This, Boulez does expertly. (And the CSO has never sounded so...light on its feet.) Also here is the early Fireworks, where you can almost hear The Firebird approaching. The Four Etudes for Orchestra finish the disc like a snifter of brandy. —Paul Cook

2CD ...Solo Senza Basso/W/Pieter Wispelwey

Pieter Wispelwey partners for a second time with Paolo Giacometti, this time in a program of Chopin and Mendelssohn. But there is a another great musical figure on this disc the cellist and composer Karl Davidoff, who studied with Moscheles and Mendelssohn s violinist and composer friend Ferdinand David. Davidoff s brilliant arrangements of the Chopin Waltzes of Op. 64 form a sparkling interlude between Mendelssohn s brilliant second cello sonata, and Chopin s late and great sonata for cello and piano.