ROUSSEL: Symphony No. 4; Sinfonietta. MILHAUD: Suite...

ROUSSEL: Symphony No. 4; Sinfonietta. MILHAUD: Suite Provencale. DEBUSSY: “La Mer.” Detroit Symphony, conducted by Neeme Jarvi. Chandos 9072. Jarvi has become, it seems, the musical equivalent of a trigger-happy hunter: He’ll take a shot at virtually anything that moves. Now past the century mark in releases for Chandos, Jarvi can hardly be said to have a special affinity with much of what he records, as is the case again here. Despite the generally animated nature of his reading of the “Suite Provencal,” the textures are so thick that essential elements--the peppery orchestration, for instance--get lost in the din. The Roussel performances are little more than reliable--solidly executed but heavy and amorphous. But then, all of a sudden, the disc concludes with a first-rate performance of “La Mer.”