# Favorite "Le Sacre" recordings



## BRHiler (May 3, 2014)

I saw another post titled pieces you never get tired of, and this is probably 1st or 2nd on my list.

I try to get as many recordings as possible (last count is 20), but only if someone recommends it.

My three favorites (at this moment) in order are:

Rattle: CBSO (NOT the Berlin recording)
Tilson Thomas: San Fransisco
Salonen: Los Angeles

Honorable Mention: Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar simply because kids should not play that piece the way they play it!!!

My personal "requirements"

Must have great balance in the vertical as well as horizontal sound
When required, the brass must be in the forefront*
Must be primitive sounding (too much refinement is boring)
balance of sound within each section (goes w/ #1)

_*definitely a personal requirement as I'm a brass player that loves when conductors let the brass cut loose at the right time_

I'd love to hear about some other favorite Le Sacre recordings, as I'm always looking for new ones!


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## PetrB (Feb 28, 2012)

Stravinsky; Columbia Symphony Orchestra 
http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Conducts-Petrushka-Printemps-Spring/dp/B0000026GJ
Igor Markevitch; Philharmonia Orchestra (disc is of both the 1951 & 1959 recordings)

Letting the Brass come to the fore where the score clearly wants it, fine: 
as for a possible imbalance at the expense of the piece to show off the brass, phooey! 
(_B.....b.....b.....b.....but, Great Horn part!!!_ -- yeah, we know


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## Marschallin Blair (Jan 23, 2014)

BRHiler said:


> I saw another post titled pieces you never get tired of, and this is probably 1st or 2nd on my list.
> 
> I try to get as many recordings as possible (last count is 20), but only if someone recommends it.
> 
> ...


For merciless ferocity and up-front brass, I always reach for the '59 Markevitch/Philharmonia; for the best sound, it's a toss-up-- due to the completely different engineering balances-- between the Ozawa/CSO and the Salonen/LAPO.


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## ptr (Jan 22, 2013)

You might find more answers to this question by searching TC for previous threads on the subject like *this*!

Most basic questions on well known works have been covered TC many times and digging up old threads often spurs more discussion then trying to reinvent the wheel!

/ptr


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## hpowders (Dec 23, 2013)

My current favorite Le Sacre du Printemps is the more measured than usual one by the Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev. Stupendous and overwhelming!


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## BRHiler (May 3, 2014)

Thanks Ptr. I thought about it, then didn't. Guess I should have 

Hpowders....I have the Gergiev recording, and to me there is just a lot of stuffiness and muffled in the sound to me. Maybe it's my stereo. But for me, the horns being covered up in the Ritual of Abduction is too great a sin to allow pass!


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## shadowdancer (Mar 31, 2014)

Hum.. tough question
As hpowders mentioned, my favorite (current) are







or


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## Guest (Jun 9, 2014)

Radio France Philharmonic with Myun Whun Chung at the Proms in 2011. I prefer it to the Panorama edition with HvK / BPO.


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## SONNET CLV (May 31, 2014)

All of them. Which is why I purchased both boxes below for the centennial celebration. Forty five recordings. I'm still working my way through them all. It's glorious noise, and I love it.


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## Blancrocher (Jul 6, 2013)

SONNET CLV said:


> All of them. Which is why I purchased both boxes below for the centennial celebration. Forty five recordings. I'm still working my way through them all. It's glorious noise, and I love it.


I notice that the Decca set has the Ashkenazy/Gavrilov version of the 4-hand piano version, which I love; if you like how the Rite sounds on the piano, you might like to explore other versions. In addition to 4-hand versions, I'm also especially partial to Dag Achatz's 2-hand version for its heart-pounding excitement.


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## techniquest (Aug 3, 2012)

Ooh we're doing this one again 
I still really like the Plovdiv Philharmonic/Dobrin Petkov recording on Laserlight Classics. Seriously - it's good!









EDIT: After posting, I decided to give this recording a listen as it's been some considerable time since I last span the disc. I am prepared to concede that it's not _all_ that brilliant in truth. The first part is better than the second and I suspect that the timps are not tuned properly! Good effort though and worth a listen if only for curiosity value. It's not the worst "Le Sacre" out there.


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