L'apres-midi d'un faune

Hearing it for the first time in some middling while, the only thought that came to mind was, mais c'est du Massenet! I remember once, long ago, being invited to appreciate the transgressiveness of it and thinking that it was a fine and conspicuously legible work, not transgressive in any way -- and becoming suspicious of the motivations of anyone who could try to build a case that it was, a suspicion that grew rapidly as similar examples mounted up over time.

Perhaps this morning's reaction was down to the performance, but that reminds me that there are few, if any, other standard works whose performance tradition is so consistent: I do not recall ever hearing a performance that deviated from every other in tempo (apart from indulgence to the harpist at the beginning), phrasing, even details of balance.