Shortly before Deutsche Grammophon issued this 2007 coupling of
Claudio Abbado and the
London Symphony Orchestra's 1977 recording of both L'Arlésienne Suites together with their 1980 recording of the Carmen Suite, it issued a coupling of
Abbado's 1977 L'Arlésienne Suites but with
Jean Martinon and the Orchestre National de l'ORTF recording
Bizet's Jeux d'enfants and Symphony in C major instead. Proving that context is everything, this disc admirably succeeds where the previous disc fails. On this disc,
Abbado and the
LSO sound light, witty, warm, colorful, and deep beneath the skin of the music, making the L'Arlésienne Suites ring all the changes from its swaggering March to its sultry Minuet and from its ardent Pastorale to its tragic Farandole, and the Carmen Suite sing, stamp, soar, and sizzle like Dorothy Dandridge in a flowing red skirt. Here, DG's late stereo sound is crisp, clean, deep, and vibrant. Here, in short, is a soupçon of
Bizet for all ages, sexes, and tastes that only the hardest of critical hearts could not embrace with open arms.