Albert Roussel: Bacchus et Ariane, Op. 43 (Complete) / Le festin de l'araignée (The Spider's Banquet), Op. 17 (Complete) - Yan Pascal Tortelier / BBC Philharmonic
These two ballet masterpieces belong with the works of Ravel and  Stravinsky at the pinnacle of French dance music from the interwar period. They  are very different sounding.The Spider's Feast,as befits an "insect"  piece, is a delicate impressionist tone poem painted in musical watercolors.Bacchus,by contrast, is a symphonically constructed epic told in pungent  melodies and clear-cut, stamping rhythms. The second half of the ballet, also  known as Suite No. 2, has long been popular at orchestral concerts, and builds  up to a smashing ending. Yan Pascal Tortelier's performances of both works are  the best available, both as interpretations and sound.--David Hurwitz