Barcelona Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ludovic Morlot, Maurice Ravel - CD Review, May 29^th, 2026

Maurice Ravel - selections from the choreographic suite Daphnis et Chloé and La Valse.

Album released on February 6th

To celebrate a century and a half since Maurice Ravel was born, a number of special projects were released in 2025 with the purpose of honoring the great composer, pianist and conductor associated with the Impressionist movement, an original musician who incorporated modernist and Neo-Baroque elements into his scores, as well as the influence of jazz music during the final phase of his creative career.

Among the major recording projects dedicated to the anniversary of Maurice Ravel is the recording of his complete orchestral works in a six-volume collection, performed by conductor Ludovic Morlot and the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, released under the L'Auditori record label.

The third CD of this set, that I'll be introducing for the first time at Radio România Muzical, was released on February 6^th, 2026, and the recordings took place in December 2024, at the Pau Casals Hall in Barcelona.

The most complex piece on this album is the choreographic suite Daphnis et Chloe, composed by Maurice Ravel between 1909 and 1912, which received its premiere at the Théâtre du Châtelet in Paris. The Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, in collaboration with the Orfeo Català choral ensemble, delivers a captivating interpretation of this ballet music, highlighting the harmonic sophistication, timbral variety and the broad dynamic and agogic range of the "Daphnis et Chloé" suite.

Also included on the same disc is La Valse, written by the French composer around 1920, performed for the first time in Paris. Renowned music critic Paul Landormy described this piece as "one of the most surprising compositions of Ravel, disclosing romantic intensity, power and ecstasy" - qualities all highlighted by the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, under the baton of Ludovic Morlot.

Ludovic Morlot is an expert in the interpretation of the French repertoire and a four-time Grammy Award winner at the rostrum of the ensemble he's been conducting since 2022 as music director: the Barcelona Symphony Orchestra, also known as the National Orchestra of Catalonia.