Ravel, L'Heure Espagnole

Ravel
L’Heure Espagnole
Münchner Rundfunkorchester/Asher Fisch
BR Klassik 900317

Ravel’s exquisite miniature, L’Heure Espagnole, has often come a poor second in the catalogue to the catchier L’Enfant et les Sortilèges with which it is occasionally shackled, so it’s nice to see a label taking a punt on a solo recording. Unlike its more in-your-face stablemate, L’Heure is a slower simmer but, like much of Ravel, it repays multiple listenings. Devoid of arias as such, its sassy libretto is finely spun over typically ravishing orchestrations, requiring a listener’s immersion in the music just as much as the words.

The plot...