Debussy - L’Enfant Prodigue; Ravel: L’Enfant et les Sortilèges

The Guardian 60

Briot/Stutzmann/Gauvin/Alagna/Radio France PO and Choir/Franck
(Erato)

A rather curious pairing of early Debussy and mature Ravel – the one a cantata to an utterly banal text, the other a one-act opera with a beautifully crafted libretto by Colette – whose only connection seems to be the mention of a child in their titles. L’Enfant Prodigue was the score with which Debussy secured the prestigious Prix de Rome in Paris in 1884. Even though he revised it in 1908, it has always remained on the periphery of his output, and with its touches of orientalism and dutiful bows towards Gounod and Massenet, there are only brief anticipations of the mature composer to come.

Mikko Franck’s performance, with Karina Gauvin, Roberto Alagna and Jean-François Lapointe as the soloists, is vivid enough, but inevitably it’s L’Enfant et les Sortilèges that makes the bigger impression. In this jewel-like work in which not a note is wasted, it’s a huge advantage to have an entirely Francophone cast, and every word certainly matters here. Chloé Briot is the child, getting just the right mix of sweetness and devilment, and Nathalie Stutzmann, as the Dragonfly, the China Cup and the Mother, leads the fine supporting cast. Franck’s tempi sometimes seem a bit impatient, but he certainly gets superb orchestral playing from the Radio France orchestra.