m to m Paris

As everybody knows, Paris Hilton is famous simply for existing. Even before she was a household name the heiress to the Hilton hotel fortune was famous in certain circles, partially because of her pedigree, partially because she was at every exclusive party, partially because of her very name, an instantly memorable and malleable moniker that spawned T-shirts ("Paris Hilton Is Burning") and gossip websites alike. All this hipster activity was bound to spill over into the mainstream and it did in a spectacular fashion in 2003 when she and Nicole Richie – her best friend for life circa 2003 – starred in the reality series The Simple Life, which saw the two pampered socialites attempting to fit into the real world of Wal-Marts and roadhouse saloons.

During his student days, Ravel often attended soirées at the homes of Parisian music patrons. In 1899, a patron commissioned him to a modest work for piano—it was only salon music and Ravel thought nothing of the posterity of the piece, Pavane pour une infante défunte. In 1902, Ricardo Viñes performed the work publicly to great acclaim. Ravel was surprised and disturbed by the acceptance of this piece. The “pavane” alluded to the solemn Renaissance dance form.

This is the first recording of the 45-musician Orchestre de Chambre de Paris (OCP) under the direction of famed violinist Thomas Zehetmair, who assumed the role of principal conductor and artistic advisor during the 2012/13 season. Together they present a program of French music by Ravel and Debussy. With a myriad of existing recordings of the orchestral works of Ravel and Debussy on the market, one might ask what would be the reason to pick up yet another.

For fans of disco this is a must have. Dimitri from Paris is arguably the world's foremost disco DJ, and none of these tracks have previously been released on a compilation.

This "Paris" is special because it shows Eccles trying to shunt musical theater in an all-English direction, and move it out of the shadow of the dominant Italian and French traditions. As Lindsay Kemp points out in verbose but thorough liner notes, the word settings, or underlay is for English speech rhythms and the score focuses more on line and melody that decoration and ornamentation. This is a Maske, so it feels much more like music from a play than an opera. The score is a theatrical and musical treat, lived up to in this vibrant and energized performance, conducted by Christian Curnyn and sung by the Early Opera Company. The soloists are well cast, lucid and each of them really grasp the difference between this and opera. The Three Mad Songs that end the program are just that, set pieces from various English plays where the heroin loses it, usually because a man has done her wrong.

As if in a mirror, this recording juxtaposes the original piano versions of two of Ravel's masterpieces ('Le Tombeau de Couperin' and 'Alborada del gracioso') with their respective orchestrations. The 'Concerto in G Major' combines the two facets, both when the piano is integrated into the overall sound and when it plays its role as a soloist. The subtle playing of Javier Perianes and the refined sonorities of the Orchestre de Paris, conducted by Josep Pons, also remind us that Spain was the most significant source of inspiration in Ravel's output.

Four different groups are heard on this compilation from the Jazz in Paris series. Although all groups were promoted as bop-oriented when they were overseas, the only bona fide bop musicians on the first two sessions are tenor saxophonist Don Byas and pianist Billy Taylor. The first date is jointly credited to Byas and trombonist Tyree Glenn (known for his work with Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong); Glenn is an effective soloist, even though he's firmly a swinger at heart. But it is Byas' big-toned solos that stand out, especially in Dizzy Gillespie's "Dynamo A" (also known as "Dizzy Atmosphere"), along with the effective comping and solos of the relative youngster Billy Taylor, who also contributed "Mad Monk"…