"Neeme Järvi's interpretation of Les forains is affectionate and refined ... This simple tale of a circus troop coming to town with its various exotic acts offers ample opportunity for Sauguet to amuse and delight. Yet what's surprising is the element of melancholy that wafts through the score, as the troupe finds the audience unappreciative"

Vurdering: 5/5

"Paris in 1945 was still picking itself up after the German occupation ... Those not enamoured of Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time and Visions de l'Amen may well have been relieved to find the old French style was alive and well, albeit with a few twists here and there. The scenario of Les Forains, dedicated to the memory of Erik Satie ... and the tune of the Entrée de Forains, later recorded in its song version by Piaf, is by some way the best on the disc ... In the Hérodiade ballet suite ... the 39-year-old Massenet had still not found his true voice ... Järvi also fails to follow his text"

"For all the breadth and diversity of Neeme Järvi's discography, French ballet music is not necessarily a genre that he would be associated with ... and it is a tribute to his enduring musical energy and curiosity that the recording conveys the vigour and brilliance that has typified his recording career ... Throughout the disc the playing of the Estonian National Symphony Orchestra is a model of modern orchestral playing - alert, virtuosic as required, and dynamic"