(1) Although the beginning of this 11-minute suite sounds like Ravel's La valse swirling up from the mists, the very English waltz proper sets the right tone for the witty and stylized writing of Agatha Christie and Sidney Lumet.(2) Only the Étude en forme de valse , promoted by Cortot, still attracts those pianists keen to show off their left-hand technique.(3) What we have here might be thought of as the inverse of Ravel's La valse .(4) The Grande valse brillante ends the disc as a crowd-pleasing encore.(5) Here's a conductor who, instead of recording another Beethoven Fifth or Ravel La valse , prefers to bring neglected music back into the spotlight.
