Nocturnes / la Damoiselle Elue

Esa-Pekka Salonen's take on these Debussy classics is a shade faster than most, but not so much so as to destroy the delicate tapestries of the music. This is especially true in Nocturnes. Salonen's advantage here is that he's got the Los Angeles Philharmonic whose sound is rich and, where it needs to be, deep. This strength can be found in the beautiful La Damoiselle elue (The Blessed Damozel), based on poems by Dante Gabriel Rossetti. Dawn Upshaw's voice has never sounded so fine. Le Martyre de Saint Sebastien, a somber symphonic fragment, is almost uncharacteristic of the composer. Recommended anyway. --Paul Cook