Stravinsky: Petrushka – Debussy: Jeux, Prélude

Finnish conductor Klaus Mäkelä has been music director of the Orchestre de Paris since 2021, and here brings together three contrasting works that all boast a strong Parisian link. Typically, he gains gleaming, translucent results thanks to his meticulous attention to orchestral detail while nurturing a tight yet flexible ensemble among his players. On show here is the revised 1947 version of Stravinsky’s Petrushka—a slightly less luscious version than the richly detailed 1911 original, sharpening the energy and hubbub of a carnival crowd and the depiction of mechanical instruments churning out then-popular Russian melodies. Mäkelä takes great care with Stravinsky’s vivid orchestral colours, but not at the expense of character, and highlights some wonderful details often missing in other accounts. Listen out for the puppet-like squeak with which the clarinet ends its solo in “Petrushka’s Room”. All of this may seem a world away from the hazy sensuousness of Debussy’s Prélude à l’après-midi d’un faun or the tennis players of the more playful Jeux, yet the French composer was a great admirer of Stravinsky. Mäkelä’s attention to Debussy’s orchestral detail again pays dividends, particularly in Jeux whose fleeting sensations take flight, albeit firmly guided through every corner by the conductor.