Monday, December 23, 2013

Bizet: Jeux d'Enfants (Antal Dorati)

Antal Dorati
As I mentioned at about this time last year, when I put up this post, Christmas is for children, and so children and their games are the focus of this post.  Bizet's delightful set of twelve pieces for piano duet illustrating various kids' antics dates from 1871, and he later orchestrated five of the pieces to form his "Petite Suite."  The latter was recorded several times during the 78 era, but the complete set of pieces in its original duet form had to wait until Vitya Vronsky and Victor Babin released a ten-inch LP of them in 1950.  In the meantime, a young Antal Dorati made this recording of a Ballet Russes arrangement, adding to Bizet's "Petite Suite" five additional orchestrations by Pierre Kolpikoff of pieces previously unrecorded:

Bizet: Jeux d'Enfants - Suite, Op. 22
London Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Antal Dorati
Recorded September 17 and 27, 1937
Victor Musical Masterpiece set M-510, two 78-rpm records
Link (FLAC file, 41.06 MB)
Link (MP3 file, 29.84 MB)

Merry Christmas, everyone!

2 comments:

  1. May I take this opportunity to wish you a very enjoyable Festive Season and I hope that you will enjoy good health and happiness in 2014.

    Thank you for bringing much pleasure to me during 2013 from your kindness in uploading such enjoyable music - much of which has extended my “musical education”.


    Happy Holidays,

    Boa Festes,

    Feliz Navidad,

    Bonne vacances,

    Frohe Festtage,

    Buone Feste,

    Cheers,

    Douglas (UK)

    ReplyDelete
  2. What Doug said.... My musical treasury is much the richer for the kind-
    ness and generosity of yourself and others like you. i was wondering
    if you would top last Christmas, but I conclude the only way you could
    do that is if had film of Leonet and Siegal in recital or recording the
    Fauré. Probably not a likely prospect.

    ReplyDelete