# Essential Stravinsky Recordings



## flamencosketches

This will be a companion thread to my recent "Essential Schoenberg" thread, in honor of another 20th century giant of Modern music, Igor Stravinsky. I have been coming to appreciate his music more lately, to which (outside of an early initial draw to the famous, Russian ballets) I have never really been fully receptive or understanding. I think finding the right recordings is essential in getting to understand his music better, and I'm sure myself and others will benefit from this thread.

So here are a few recordings that I rate as not only great, but essential in understanding Stravinsky's music:









Pierre Boulez, Cleveland Orchestra. Le Sacre du Printemps. Both his most famous and most revolutionary of the early ballets, and Boulez's excellent conducting alongside Cleveland's famously precise and lean playing results in a beautiful match up. Crystal clear. Really allows a lot of insight into the great music. Perhaps blasphemously, I prefer this recording over the following:









Igor Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra. Le Sacre du Printemps and Petrouchka. He takes most of the tempos faster in the Rite, and in general the playing is not quite as tight or precise, but it's the man himself conducting. Clearly a lot to be learned from this. I have not heard any other Petrouchka, but the account on this disc is also very good.









Pierre Boulez, Berlin Philharmonic. Symphonies of Wind Instruments, Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in Three Movements. The famous symphonies of his neoclassical period. I am new to these works, but it was Boulez's performance of Psalms which won me over to this amazing and powerful work. Great playing from Berlin as always.









Itzhak Perlman, Seiji Ozawa, Boston Symphony Orchestra. Despite being overshadowed by the phenomenal Berg concerto that shares the disc, this performance of Stravinsky's violin concerto is also very good. Perlman plays with a lot of bite. Ozawa's Boston sounds great.

Anyway, that's about all I got. Can anyone else add to my very limited list? I have no Firebird, hardly any of the Neoclassical period, and zero of the later 12-tone works.


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## Joe B

flamencosketches said:


> .....I have no Firebird.....


Might I suggest this one:










This is the full ballet version (1910). The performance is excellent. The recording was made at EMI's Abbey Road Studio, and it is outstanding. The sound of the orchestra emerges from a perfectly silent, black background. The engineers nailed this recording. The sound stage and imaging are amazing. If you're after purchasing a "Firebird", you can not go wrong with this recording.


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## flamencosketches

Joe B said:


> Might I suggest this one:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This is the full ballet version (1910). The performance is excellent. The recording was made at EMI's Abbey Road Studio, and it is outstanding. The sound of the orchestra emerges from a perfectly silent, black background. The engineers nailed this recording. The sound stage and imaging are amazing. If you're after purchasing a "Firebird", you can not go wrong with this recording.


I like what I'm hearing, ordered a used copy for $5 in total. Couldn't pass it up at that price. I will get back to you when I hear the whole thing. Thanks!


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## bigshot

There's a blu-ray with Gergiev and the Ballet Russes doing both Firebird and Rite of Spring. It's pretty good. The Rite of Spring is a recreation of the first Paris staging.

When it comes to favorite Stravinsky recordings, the first recording of Petrushka by Stokowski and the Philadelphia is a must have.


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## flamencosketches

Is this the one?









Added to my wish list. I don't have hardly any "world premiere" recordings like this. I like what little I've heard of Stokowski's conducting.


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## bigshot

yes, that is it. 1929!


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## Score reader

You might want to give this a try, it's one of my favs.


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## Score reader

bigshot said:


> There's a blu-ray with Gergiev and the Ballet Russes doing both Firebird and Rite of Spring. It's pretty good. The Rite of Spring is a recreation of the first Paris staging.


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## jegreenwood

Score reader said:


> You might want to give this a try, it's one of my favs.


More Dorati


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## flamencosketches

^ Must check that out (both). I am a big fan of Dorati's conducting.


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## flamencosketches

I have not heard the famous Les Noces. Who has recorded a good version?

Same question goes for Histoire du Soldat.


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## CnC Bartok

Stravinsky himself is as good as anyone in Les Noces

Histoire du Soldat is a different kettle of fish, it comes in two basic forms, the full theatre piece, with narrator et al, and the more familiar (?) Suite. Boulez is very good in the former, there seems to be much more choice in the latter. My personal feeling is the whole thing needs to be seen, not just heard, so as music, the suite works better. Sacrilege, I am sure....:angel:

And further sacrilege, I love the end of The Firebird, but the preceding forty minutes or so bore me senseless....

My favourite Stravinsky after Petrushka (for me his best ballet) and The Rite, are some of the larger-scale, less obvious masterpieces. The three early ballets are possibly his best music, but not his only music. Apollo is a heart-breakingly beautiful piece of music, Orpheus not far behind; and there are some immensely wonderful pieces elsewhere, the fabulous Violin Concerto, the Symphony of Psalms, and the brief but powerful Requiem Canticles spring immediately to mind.


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## jegreenwood

CnC Bartok said:


> Stravinsky himself is as good as anyone in Les Noces
> 
> Histoire du Soldat is a different kettle of fish, it comes in two basic forms, the full theatre piece, with narrator et al, *and the more familiar (?) Suite.* Boulez is very good in the former, there seems to be much more choice in the latter. My personal feeling is the whole thing needs to be seen, not just heard, so as music, the suite works better. Sacrilege, I am sure....:angel:
> 
> And further sacrilege, I love the end of The Firebird, but the preceding forty minutes or so bore me senseless....
> 
> My favourite Stravinsky after Petrushka (for me his best ballet) and The Rite, are some of the larger-scale, less obvious masterpieces. The three early ballets are possibly his best music, but not his only music. Apollo is a heart-breakingly beautiful piece of music, Orpheus not far behind; and there are some immensely wonderful pieces elsewhere, the fabulous Violin Concerto, the Symphony of Psalms, and the brief but powerful Requiem Canticles spring immediately to mind.


In fact there are two suites, one for seven musicians and one for three.

And if you're going to mention Apollo and Orpheus you need to include (IMHO) Agon. Sony issued budget box a number of years back devoted to Stravinsky conducting his own ballets. Maybe there's a used copy floating around somewhere.


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## CnC Bartok

jegreenwood said:


> In fact there are two suites, one for seven musicians and one for three.
> 
> And if you're going to mention Apollo and Orpheus you need to include (IMHO) Agon. Sony issued budget box a number of years back devoted to Stravinsky conducting his own ballets. Maybe there's a used copy floating around somewhere.


Happy to concur with the "Agon is a masterpiece too" idea. That said, it's not one of my favourite Stravinsky pieces. Respect, rather than love.....oddly it can't be the serial issue, am perfectly happy with it in the Requiem Canticles!


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## jegreenwood

CnC Bartok said:


> Happy to concur with the "Agon is a masterpiece too" idea. That said, it's not one of my favourite Stravinsky pieces. Respect, rather than love.....oddly it can't be the serial issue, am perfectly happy with it in the Requiem Canticles!


It may help to hear it at the ballet. I once heard a two piano version, which I believe was used in the rehearsal room. That was far less interesting musically.


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## flamencosketches

I am now listening to and enjoying the Eliahu Inbal/Philharmonia Firebird, so thanks Joe B for suggesting it. 

I also have been really enjoying Fritz Reiner/Chicago's recording of Song of the Nightingale. I want to get Robert Craft's recording of the whole opera on Naxos. It can be had for very cheap.

I now want to track down some recordings mentioned in the thread, Antal Dorati/Detroit: Le Sacre, and Stokowski/Philadelphia: Petrushka/Le Sacre. But I'm curious: all of these recordings seem to be of his early Ballets; are there any fans here of his middle and later works? He had a long and expansive career. I'm curious where to start with his post-Russian period. All I know is the violin concerto and the Symphonies.


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## bigshot

The Stokowski was recorded in 1929, so he hadn't composed his later works yet. Stoki and the Philadelphia had an unique sound and approach to this music. Other versions aren't at all the same.

Dorati's versions (I think there were two, both good) are famous for their raw energy and precision, as well as for having really great sonics.

The thing about Stravinsky is that the conducting is as much a part of the music as the composing. There's enough leeway in the way the pieces are constructed so the approach of "play the music as it's written" doesn't work well. That means that there is a lot of variation to how people handle it. Stravinsky himself was known to say some performances were proper and others not, but he would contradict himself a lot. And although Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky is an essential set, it's by no means the last word on how his works should be presented.


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## flamencosketches

Who has made a good recording of the Requiem Canticles? There are not many, it seems. Robert Craft on Naxos is probably the way to go, then?


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## CnC Bartok

Well, Craft also is the conductor of the Requiem Canticles in the enormous "Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky" edition on CBS/Sony. I don't know the recording on Naxos, sorry.

To howls of derision, I'd also highlight a very good recording on Chandos from Neeme Jarvi. His Stravinsky survey is immensely satisfying....


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## Blancrocher

flamencosketches said:


> Who has made a good recording of the Requiem Canticles? There are not many, it seems. Robert Craft on Naxos is probably the way to go, then?


I like the versions paired with Herreweghe's Threni and Gielen's Canticum Sacrum (which would also give you good recordings of those seldom-recorded works).


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## chill782002

flamencosketches said:


> Is this the one?
> 
> View attachment 118658
> 
> 
> Added to my wish list. I don't have hardly any "world premiere" recordings like this. I like what little I've heard of Stokowski's conducting.


The Stokowski recordings of these works with the Phiadelphia Orchestra are excellent (in terms of the performances anyway, if not necessarily the sound) but they're not "world premiere" recordings.

The Petrushka was recorded in 1937 and the Rite over a number of recording sessions in late 1929 / early 1930. The first recording of Petrushka that I have is an acoustic recording made by Sir Eugene Goossens and at least some members of the Royal Albert Hall orchestra in 1924. I also have an electrical recording made by Albert Coates with the London Symphony Orchestra in 1928.

With regard to the Rite, although an acoustic recording of this work was never really practical, the first complete electrical recordings were made in 1929, first by Pierre Monteux with the Orchestre Symphonique du Paris (most likely a pick up orchestra) and then by Stravinsky himself with the Orchestre des Concerts Straram a few months later. Both of these were made prior to the Stokowski / Philadelphia recording. However, the first recording ever made (although incomplete) is an electrical test recording of the first 10 minutes or so of Part 1 by Stokowski and the Philadelphia Orchestra with another recording existing from 1928 of parts of rehearsals for the West Coast premiere of the work by Sir Eugene Goossens and the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra.


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## jimsumner

flamencosketches said:


> I am now listening to and enjoying the Eliahu Inbal/Philharmonia Firebird, so thanks Joe B for suggesting it.
> 
> I also have been really enjoying Fritz Reiner/Chicago's recording of Song of the Nightingale. I want to get Robert Craft's recording of the whole opera on Naxos. It can be had for very cheap.
> 
> I now want to track down some recordings mentioned in the thread, Antal Dorati/Detroit: Le Sacre, and Stokowski/Philadelphia: Petrushka/Le Sacre. But I'm curious: all of these recordings seem to be of his early Ballets; are there any fans here of his middle and later works? He had a long and expansive career. I'm curious where to start with his post-Russian period. All I know is the violin concerto and the Symphonies.


If you like the violin concerto, try the Pulcinella ballet. The suite contains most of the music and is more often recorded than the complete ballet. It's my favorite of his neo-classical works. Lots of top conductors have tackled it, Bernstein, Haitink, Boulez, Abbado. There's a very affordable Abbado two-fer with Pulcinella, Le Sacre, Petrushka, Firebird Suite and Jeu de Cartes (Card Game), another neo-classical ballet.


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## CnC Bartok

If you're mentioning Pulcinella, as we have with so many of Stravinsky's ballets, there is the complete Vs suite situation again, as you say. The full ballet includes some songs, and personally I prefer this setup.

Pulcinella is great fun! I still find the f*rting brass in the Vivo section raises a smile at the very least. It's Stravinsky starting off in his neo-classical mode, and the music of "Pergolesi" suits him brilliantly. It's unfortunately easy to dismiss the work as a good-natured light romp, but it's more important than that.....

I thought I had those Abbado recordings. They're very good indeed. Can't find the CDs. I need a proper clear out......


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## flamencosketches

Seems like just about every major Stravinsky work ends up getting coupled on a CD with the Rite, the Firebird, or Petrushka. I'm going to end up with a dozen versions of each just trying to get recordings of the lesser works :lol:

I will check out Pulcinella. I wasn't familiar with it, so thanks for the recommendation.


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## jegreenwood

flamencosketches said:


> Seems like just about every major Stravinsky work ends up getting coupled on a CD with the Rite, the Firebird, or Petrushka. I'm going to end up with a dozen versions of each just trying to get recordings of the lesser works :lol:
> 
> I will check out Pulcinella. I wasn't familiar with it, so thanks for the recommendation.


I have this pairing of Abbado's Pulcinella and Jeu de Cartes


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## flamencosketches

jegreenwood said:


> I have this pairing of Abbado's Pulcinella and Jeu de Cartes


Dirt cheap too. Good call. I just got a copy of Salonen/Philharmonia's Firebird just because it included the Jeu de cartes, even though I already have a Firebird (with the Philharmonia no less :lol: under Eliahu Inbal).

Stravinsky has really had an amazing impact on the contemporary repertoire, hasn't he? What other 20th century composers have been so widely recorded? I can't even think of a remotely close second; he completely dominates the game, as far as recordings and programming goes. It's almost all the early ballets, but no less.


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## jegreenwood

One more ballet - "Le Baiser de la fée" - Stravinsky elaborating on Tchaikovsky. I have a version with Stravinsky conducting.


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## jimsumner

jegreenwood said:


> One more ballet - "Le Baiser de la fée" - Stravinsky elaborating on Tchaikovsky. I have a version with Stravinsky conducting.


Stravinsky specialized in 30-minute ballets. In addition to the ones already mentioned, we have Orpheus, Apollo, Agon (tough-sledding).

Then there's La Histoire du Soldat (the Soldier's Tale). He wrote this curious hybrid at the end of WWI, when full-scale symphony concerts were hard to come by. A small ensemble, narrators and a tale of a soldier against the devil. The full version is usually narrated in English but there are some French versions. It might be wise to start with the suite--there's that decision again--which omits the narration. But if you're fond of The Devil and Daniel Webster, you'll eventually want a full version.

Unless you have a complete aversion to choral music, look for his A Symphony of Psalms. Lots of big-name conductors have gone after this 20-minute work, Boulez, Solti. Gielen, Tilson Thomas, Colin Davis, Stravinsky himself.

Couplings might matter here.

On the question of 20th-century composers, Shostakovich might be catching Stravinsky.


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## flamencosketches

Hmm, true enough. Shostakovich is not too terribly far behind, but I believe he lacks a singly monumental and recognizable work like Stravinsky's Rite (and even the Firebird Suite). Still a contender. 

I love the Symphony of Psalms. I have the Boulez on DG, and just yesterday picked up the Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky with the Symphony of Psalms and two of his other symphonies (In C and Three Movements). No choral aversion here.

As for the Histoire, I may have to go with the suite for now... with narrated works, I tend to find myself wishing for a purely instrumental work. 

He does have a ton of 30 minute ballets, doesn't he.


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## starthrower

I never cared for Craft. The Dorati Mercury disc is great. I have the Stravinsky conducted 22 CD set which I enjoy, a couple of Boulez discs on DG, The Boulez/Stravinsky Erato recordings, and a 3 disc set by Tilson Thomas. And The Rake's Progress by Ozawa. If I were to pick up anything else, it would be the cheap Sony Boulez set.

One other disc I've owned for a long time is The Firebird/Symphonies Of Wind Instruments by Kent Nagano / LSO on Virgin. I love this one!


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## CnC Bartok

starthrower said:


> I never cared for Craft. The Dorati Mercury disc is great. I have the Stravinsky conducted 22 CD set which I enjoy, a couple of Boulez discs on DG, The Boulez/Stravinsky Erato recordings, and a 3 disc set by Tilson Thomas. And The Rake's Progress by Ozawa. If I were to pick up anything else, it would be the cheap Sony Boulez set.
> 
> One other disc I've owned for a long time is The Firebird/Symphonies Of Wind Instruments by Kent Nagano / LSO on Virgin. I love this one!


Have you heard Nagano doing The Rite, also on Virgin? It's a fabulous recording! Oh, and when you have the time/inclination, do please elaborate on your negative feelings towards Robert Craft?


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## starthrower

CnC Bartok said:


> Have you heard Nagano doing The Rite, also on Virgin? It's a fabulous recording! Oh, and when you have the time/inclination, do please elaborate on your negative feelings towards Robert Craft?


I haven't heard Nagano's Rite, but I'll look it up, thanks! I'm basing my opinion of Craft purely on some pieces I listened to on Naxos. I thought his Firebird sounded pretty lame, but I haven't listened a lot of his recordings.


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## flamencosketches

starthrower said:


> I haven't heard Nagano's Rite, but I'll look it up, thanks! I'm basing my opinion of Craft purely on some pieces I listened to on Naxos. I thought his Firebird sounded pretty lame, but I haven't listened a lot of his recordings.


I'm actually listening to Craft's Rite on Naxos right now. Not terribly impressed either, but there are some traits I appreciate. The brass for instance sounds really good. But the overall balance of the orchestra is a little weird. And many of these tempos are too fast. Oh well, good to have another interpretation for the collection. Maybe I will come back to it.

Also on the disc is the full Nightingale opera. Excited to hear that one.


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## Becca

From a review of Igor Markevitch's 1959 recording of Rite with the Philharmonia. (Markevitch was Diaghilev's last protégé.)

"_Markevitch's 1959 stereo Rite is in a league of its own. This is a model of how to balance the score (and of how to create the illusion of a wide dynamic range within more restricted parameters). Markevitch would have been totally familiar with every note of the piece (in 1949 he sent Stravinsky a list of mistakes he had noticed in the recently revised edition), and by 1959 he clearly knew what it needed in performance, including how to keep its shock-value alive. _"


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## Becca

P.S. A few weeks ago I put together a group of 5 performances of Rite for another of the blind comparison series. One of these days when I'm in the mood, I will start a thread for it.


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## Kiki

Eagerly looking forward to that, Becca!


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## flamencosketches

Becca said:


> P.S. A few weeks ago I put together a group of 5 performances of Rite for another of the blind comparison series. One of these days when I'm in the mood, I will start a thread for it.


Yeeess! I'll participate in that one for sure. I have been branching out beyond Boulez/Cleveland for a change. There are several worthwhile interpretations out there of this great ballet, one of the greatest orchestral works of all time. My appreciation for it (and Stravinsky's works in general) continues to grow.

I will have to check out Markevitch's!


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## flamencosketches

I just picked this up:









And I'm enjoying it so far. I have to ask, though, WTF does it mean "conducted under the supervision of Igor Stravinsky"? Was Craft a child at the time? If I had to guess, I'd say it's just a marketing thing. Columbia probably wanted to continue their "Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky" series but old Igor was not in good shape to conduct at the time of recording. Am I close?

Anyway, this Requiem Canticles is really good.

@Becca, I'm having a bit of trouble finding that Markevitch Rite of Spring on CD. Do you know of any reissues? Doesn't have to be still in print as long as it's available at a reasonable price used. I'm sure I can find it on Youtube or some such, but as we discussed in another thread, I have an OCD-level fetishism for physical media and love my CDs


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## starthrower

Craft was Stravinsky's personal assistant and protege. It's not unusual for a composer to be present at, and offer some direction during a recording session. When Nagano was a young conductor he led the the London Symphony's Zappa recordings under the direction of FZ. Zappa pretty much launched his career.


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## Dirge

_*Pétrouchka*_ (1911) · Stokowski/LSSO [RCA/Testament '50]; Ancerl/CzPO [Supraphon '62]
Stokowski's is the _Mr. Toad's Wild Ride_ of _Pétrouchka_ performances, reveling in the carnival aspects of the score and bringing them out in cinematic/Technicolor glory. Ancerl, on the other hand, adopts a scrupulously conceived modern/high-fidelity approach to the score, which his orchestra executes the bejeezus out of. Different as they are, I wouldn't be without either recording. Stokowski uses the original 1911 version (more or less), Ancerl the revised 1947 version.

_*Le Sacre du printemps*_ (1913) · Ancerl/CzPO [Supraphon '63]
This performance is both impressively scrupulous and pointed/detailed (without recourse to analytical highlighting à la Boulez) and unflaggingly focused and concentrated, allowing Ancerl and orchestra to generate and maintain tension and build suspense with musical impunity. Other accounts might exhibit more brute power at any given moment, but none build more inexorably throughout or generate more savage cumulative impact. Indeed, this is the most sophisticated yet elementally savage account of _Le Sacre du printemps_ that I know.

_*Histoire du soldat*_ (1918) · Lee, Friend/SCO [Nimbus '86]
I've yet to find a true favorite recording of this work of "pocket theatre," but I rather like this performance apart from the production/recording. Christopher Lee does a bang-up job in all three speaking roles, and Lionel Friend and company play ripely and with a wonderfully wry/droll sense of occasion, but the recording itself is rather queerly staged and mic'd, making Lee's contributions often difficult to make out-I find myself almost constantly fiddling with the volume control to compensate.

_*Symphonies of Wind Instruments*_ (1920) · Pesek/Prague Chamber Harmony [Supraphon '65]
This is an unusual account of this unusual and somewhat elusive work. Rather than considering the work a stepping stone between _Le Sacre du printemps_ and _Symphony of Psalms_ and taking Stravinsky's "austere ritual" description as gospel, Pesek seems to consider it a stepping stone between _Histoire du soldat_ and _Ebony Concerto_, investing it with a certain punchy energy and jazzy spirit that, while not at all irreverent, causes one to sit up and take notice-and the characteristic Czech piquancy of the Prague winds just spices things up all the more. It's not exactly what I'm looking for-I'm more of an "austere ritual" kind of listener-but it's excellent in its way and my reluctant favorite of this work. Pesek uses the revised 1947 version.

*Pulcinella Suite* (1920/22) · Bernstein/NYPO [Columbia '60]; Marriner/ASMF [Argo '67]
Marriner leads the crisper and more idiomatically Baroque performance (a sort of hypercorrect application of HIP practices) in his trend-setting recording, but there's a lot to be said for Bernstein's wryly and unabashedly un-Baroque approach, which serves to spice things up with playing that has a robustness and swagger about it that's hard to resist. None of the recorded accounts of the full _Pulcinella_ are so colorfully and characterfully played as these to my ears, so I happily make do with the Suite.

_*Les Noces*_ (1923) · soloists, Ancerl/CzPO & Chorus [Supraphon '64]
Stravinsky marries rite and myth, pagan and Christian, primitive and precise, folk and classical, in this pointed and percussive wedding extravaganza. The declamatory style/delivery of the singing derives from the speech rhythms of Russian folklore, much as Janacek's music often derives from the speech rhythms of Moravian folklore. Ancerl and company are ideal to the task, combining temporal and rhythmic exactitude with earthy Slavic gusto and piquancy. (When listening to _Les Noces_, it's impossible not to think of Orff's _Carmina Burana_, so indebted is the latter to the former.)

_*Symphony of Psalms*_ (1930) · Ancerl/CzPO & Chorus [Supraphon '62]
This slyly and ever-so-slightly understated performance is more insidiously seductive than overtly attention-grabbing, relying on the cumulative effect of unflagging concentration and superb execution to make its impact-Ancerl & Company's modus operandi in the studio. The chorus deserves special mention for the sheer precision and unanimity of the singing, which is as good as choral singing gets in my experience. The characterful Czech woodwinds strike me as ideal in the Bach-like second movement, what with its _Musical Offering_-esque theme and atmosphere, and the deftly Slavic brass authoritatively punctuate the third movement without sticking out like a sore (Russian) thumb. A great recording of a great and sublime work.

*Duo Concertant* (1932) · Lin & Schub [CBS '86]
"For many years I had taken no pleasure in the blend of strings struck in the piano with strings set in vibration with the bow. In order to reconcile myself to this instrumental combination I was compelled to turn to the minimum of instruments, that is to say, only two, in which I saw the possibility of solving the instrumental and acoustic problem."

And, so, Duo Concertant was born. In light of his remark, Stravinsky seems to have approached solving the problem of Duo Concertant with one ear toward exploiting the contrast/clash of sonorities and with the other ear toward reconciling the sonorities. In the first movement, "Cantilène," the violin and piano seem to be at odds with each other, but by the fifth/final movement, "Dithyrambe" (which may well be the most lyrically inspired thing that Stravinsky ever wrote), they work and sound together as beautifully as could be imagined. The intervening movements fall somewhere in between on the clash-concord scale. Lin & Schub give a well-nigh flawless/perfect performance that's difficult to describe except to say that it's not too this and it's not too that … it's just right.

*Concerto "Dumbarton Oaks"* (1938) · Stravinsky/Orchestra della RTSI [Ermitage, live in Lugano '54]
*Danses concertante* (1942) · C. Davis/ECO [L'Oiseau-Lyre '62]
These are my favorite recordings of a couple of nonessential works that are nonetheless likable and entertaining. The Stravinsky-led performance is notable for its great energy and spunk, while the Davis is an excellent all-rounder that's vividly recorded-the lower strings/nether frequencies are nicely present here. (Fans of these works might want to check out Boris Blacher's Concertante Musik (1937) · Rosbaud/BPO [DG '56].)

*Mass* (1948) & *Cantata* (1952) · soloists, Ancerl/CzPO & Chorus [Supraphon '67]
These are borderline favorites that require a bit of patience, even forbearance, on the part of listeners, but those with suitably mediæval mindsets might find them worth the while. In its adherence to old forms, Mass is perhaps the most strict/severe of Stravinsky's neoclassical works, but its use of double wind quintet is what draws the ear. Cantata is an odd English duck of much repetition and protraction: if it clicks with you, you'll find it strangely hypnotic and meditative; if it doesn't, you'll find it insufferably boring. The Czech chorus handles the Latin (Mass) and English (Cantata) texts with aplomb, and the soloists are outstanding.

_*Agon*_ (1957) · Rosbaud/SWF Baden-Baden [Vega/Adès '57]
Detailed, precise, and transparent without sounding clinical or unduly cool/aloof, this is the most surefooted performance of this precarious neoclassical-to-serial work that I've heard. The recording has been released many times by many labels, but this is the only release that I know to be in stereo, and reasonably good-sounding stereo at that-the DG (from the Rosbaud box) is in mono despite claims of stereo.


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## CnC Bartok

^^^^Delighted to see a whole lot of Karel Ancerl's Stravinsky getting a strong recommendation. The sort of music, given his background, that was right up his street. In addition, his Oedipus Rex is excellent.

But get them in the Supraphon Gold Edition. The first appearance on CD, in that stamps set, would have certainly benefited from a good old clean-up and remaster!

Flam- the Markevitch Rite(s) are in this big box, both Philharmonia, 1951 and 1959, mono, stereo respectively.


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## flamencosketches

^Thanks for that, but I don't know about buying a box set of 18 CDs from a conductor I'm unfamiliar with. Looks like he recorded some great composers' works though. I didn't know he was a composer himself?

I adore the Requiem Canticles lately. I hear the influence of Webern strongly, but it's still pure Stravinsky. Aside from the updated harmonic language, this could have been written the day after the Symphony of Psalms. The Robert Craft/Columbia Symphony recording is so good. The guy clearly understood Stravinsky's music. If anyone can help me with further recommendations into Stravinsky's serial period, I would be greatly appreciative–I hear Agon is supposed to be a good one...?


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## jegreenwood

flamencosketches said:


> ^Thanks for that, but I don't know about buying a box set of 18 CDs from a conductor I'm unfamiliar with. Looks like he recorded some great composers' works though. I didn't know he was a composer himself?
> 
> I adore the Requiem Canticles lately. I hear the influence of Webern strongly, but it's still pure Stravinsky. Aside from the updated harmonic language, this could have been written the day after the Symphony of Psalms. The Robert Craft/Columbia Symphony recording is so good. The guy clearly understood Stravinsky's music. If anyone can help me with further recommendations into Stravinsky's serial period, I would be greatly appreciative-I hear Agon is supposed to be a good one...?







"Agon" was the result of a close collaboration between Stravinsky and Balanchine. More than a few people consider it to be Balanchine's greatest masterpiece.


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## Brian D

*Stravinsky Requiem Canticles*



flamencosketches said:


> Who has made a good recording of the Requiem Canticles? There are not many, it seems. Robert Craft on Naxos is probably the way to go, then?


There was an excellent performance by the composer on YouTube just several days ago, but it is now removed for mysterious reasons (?) ... if you can find it somehow, it might be worth a listen ...


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## Chatellerault

This box seems essential to me, with the authoritative figure of Ansermet, who was close to Stravinsky and conducted the première of many of these works. One recording I especially like is Le Chant du Rossignol (CD1), where the rather philosophical themes - organic versus machine, with the real Nightingale against the mechanical one - are superbly delivered.

All in all, the Suisse Romande's orchestral colours (and the 1950s-early60s sound) can't compete with more recent recordings of the big ballets, but it's always worth a listen because of the interpretative insights


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## tdc

I just ordered the Stravinsky Complete Edition on Deutsche Grammophon, it has good reviews on Amazon. How many of the recordings on there are essential I'm not sure, but at least I will have all of his works and anything I'm not happy with or want other interpretations of I can supplement later.


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## CnC Bartok

tdc said:


> I just ordered the Stravinsky Complete Edition on Deutsche Grammophon, it has good reviews on Amazon. How many of the recordings on there are essential I'm not sure, but at least I will have all of his works and anything I'm not happy with or want other interpretations of I can supplement later.


Good call! Plenty of excellent performances in that box, I believe the main ballets are Boulez?


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## tdc

CnC Bartok said:


> Good call! Plenty of excellent performances in that box, I believe the main ballets are Boulez?


That is correct. I generally like Boulez conducting, so those should be good. Other than that:

"Performed by an array of great Stravinsky interpreters including Abbado, Argerich, Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Bernstein, Bostridge, Boulez, Chailly, Craft, Gardiner, Knussen, the Labèques, Langridge, Levine, Maisky, Mustonen, Mutter, Nagano, Pletnev, Pollini, Sacher, Shelton, Terfel. Plus....Stravinsky himself, conducting a 1935 recording of his Violin Concerto."


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## CnC Bartok

tdc said:


> That is correct. I generally like Boulez conducting, so those should be good. Other than that:
> 
> "Performed by an array of great Stravinsky interpreters including Abbado, Argerich, Ashkenazy, Barenboim, Bernstein, Bostridge, Boulez, Chailly, Craft, Gardiner, Knussen, the Labèques, Langridge, Levine, Maisky, Mustonen, Mutter, Nagano, Pletnev, Pollini, Sacher, Shelton, Terfel. Plus....Stravinsky himself, conducting a 1935 recording of his Violin Concerto."


That might include Claudio Abbado doing a couple of the "lesser" (ouch!) ballets, Pulcinella and Jeux de Cartes. Those are excellent as well, I often think Abbado's best stuff was done in his earlier days, in London.

I reckon you'll quite enjoy that box..,..! :tiphat:


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## jegreenwood

CnC Bartok said:


> That might include Claudio Abbado doing a couple of the "lesser" (ouch!) ballets, Pulcinella and Jeux de Cartes. Those are excellent as well, I often think Abbado's best stuff was done in his earlier days, in London.
> 
> I reckon you'll quite enjoy that box..,..! :tiphat:


I've had that pairing on a single DG disc for quite some time. It's very good. On Saturday I saw Justin Peck's _Pulcinella Variations_ (based on the suite) at NYC Ballet. This is different to NYCB's _Pulcinella_ choreographed by Balanchine and Robbins.


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## tdc

tdc said:


> I just ordered the Stravinsky Complete Edition on Deutsche Grammophon, it has good reviews on Amazon. How many of the recordings on there are essential I'm not sure, but at least I will have all of his works and anything I'm not happy with or want other interpretations of I can supplement later.


Received this today, sampling many of the works and I'm liking what I hear. The three main ballets, and The Soldier's Tale are included in newer (Boulez) versions and additional historical recordings are included for Petrushka (Ansermet), The Rite (Monteux) and The Soldier's Tale (Markevitch). The Violin Concerto also comes in two recordings, a newer one (Sacher/Anne-Sophie Mutter) and a historical recording (Stravinsky/Dushkin).

Newer material that expands this edition from previous DG release:

- Stravinsky orchestration of Bach BWV 769 (Ozawa)
- Star Spangled Banner arranged and conducted by Stravinsky
- Chant funebre a recently discovered work, the manuscript was lost for over a century (Chailly)

It also contains a booklet with a foreword, essays and some nice historical photos. Featuring pictures of Stravinsky, Diaghilev, Nijinsky, Dushkin, Lifar, Cocteau, Craft, Theodore Stravinsky, and the striking Vera Stravinsky.


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## starthrower

Sounds like a great set! I've always loved the violin concerto but I don't have any modern recordings. Just the version in the old Sony, Works of Igor box.


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## jegreenwood

starthrower said:


> Sounds like a great set! I've always loved the violin concerto but I don't have any modern recordings. Just the version in the old Sony, Works of Igor box.


I have an early SACD featuring Hilary Hahn and the ASMF/Marriner. And one from the Decca Analogue Box with Kyung Wha Chun, which I've only listened to once. And this on DVD (better quality than YouTube, although 1978 video is 1978 video).






It's pretty evident that Balanchine tweaked the choreography for the cameras.


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## CnC Bartok

starthrower said:


> Sounds like a great set! I've always loved the violin concerto but I don't have any modern recordings. Just the version in the old Sony, Works of Igor box.


Absolutely love the Stravinsky Violin Concerto too! It's one big 20-minute adrenaline rush!

I first heard it in the Perlman/Ozawa recording on DGG, and that remains my favourite. But Lydia Mordkovich on Chandos is excellent as well, if it's a modern recording you're after....


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## Josquin13

Arthur Grumiaux with conductor Ernst Bour are excellent in the Stravinsky Violin Concerto, too. Although you may not consider that a 'modern' recording, it was recorded in stereo in the 1968. It comes coupled with an excellent performance of the Alban Berg VC, with Igor Markevitch conducting.






Among more recent digital era recordings, I've liked the young Latvian violinist Baiba Skride's recording of the Stravinsky. Thierry Fischer conducts the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. It comes coupled with a rarity--the violin concerto by Swiss composer, Frank Martin, which Skride plays well, too (along with Honegger's Pacifica 231--an interesting program!): 



. Grumiaux & Bour are arguably more characterful, but the two performances compliment each other well, offering somewhat different interpretations. By the way, Skride also plays Stravinsky's Elegy for Solo Violin: 



.


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## tdc

Some interesting thoughts here. Now I wonder if the Sacher/Mutter VC was included in the set because they thought it represented the best one DG recorded, or if they purposely omit some of the best DG recordings so that they will possibly sell more additional recordings that way? Or maybe there are just too many good recordings of Stravinsky on DG to include in one box.


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## starthrower

I've been meaning to pick up Gil Shaham's violin concertos of the 1930s vol.1 which includes Barber, Berg, Britten, Hartmann, and Stravinsky. It's a 2 CD set.


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