# Favorite Firebird recordings



## adriesba

I didn't see a thread for this.

What are your favorite _Firebird _recordings?


----------



## Josquin13

For the complete ballet, I've most liked the recordings by Antal Dorati & the London Symphony Orchestra on Mercury Living Presence (which comes in surprisingly good sound for 1960), the composer's own recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra on CBS (in not so ideal sound, but essential listening anyway), & Charles Dutoit's recording with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal on a Decca Japanese Shm digital remaster (the best I've heard to date for this recording, sound-wise). Dorati's later digital recording with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is very good, too.

--Antal Dorati, London Symphony Orchestra, Mercury:








https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Firebird-Complete-Fireworks-Nightingale/dp/B0000057KU
https://www.prestomusic.com/classic...MItNXZz7fz6QIVCNbACh3DZAUHEAQYBCABEgL6A_D_BwE

--Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra, CBS:




https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/8110873--stravinsky-conducts-stravinsky-the-firebird
https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Conducts-Firebird-Fireworks-Fantastique/dp/B0000026GI
https://www.highdeftapetransfers.co...e-igor-stravinsky-columbia-symphony-orchestra

--Dutoit, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Decca (& in a recommendable discount Newton box set): 




Japanese Shm remaster: https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-L...toit+stravinsky&qid=1591660044&s=music&sr=1-2

--Dorati, Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Decca: 




For Stravinsky's ballet Suite--in three different versions by the composer: 1911, 1919, & 1945, I've most liked Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra on DG (1919), as well as Riccardo Chailly's recording with the Concertgebouw Orchestra on Decca (1945), and Pierre Boulez & the BBC Symphony Orchestra on CBS (1911), who each recorded a different version:

--Abbado, LSO (1919)--this is the kind of music that Abbado did extremely well: 



--Chailly, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Suite (1945)--Chailly is another underrated Stravinsky conductor: 



--Boulez, BBC Symphony Orchestra (1911): 




In addition, here are links to some other very good recordings of the complete ballet (listed in no particular order):

--Robert Craft, Philharmonia Orchestra, on either a Naxos hybrid SACD or a regular digital CD: 




https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Firebird-Petrushka-Igor/dp/B0007ORDP4
--Andrew Litton, Bergen Philharmonic, BIS hybrid SACD: 



--Christophe von Dohnányi, Vienna Philharmonic, Decca/reissued by Australian Eloquence, late analogue (this is the benchmark recording over at Classics Today; although, as good as it is, I don't quite agree): 



--Ernest Ansermet, Orchestre de la Suisse Romande (1956--mono), Decca:



--Ernest Ansermet, New Philharmonia Orchestra (1968), Decca: 



 --Pierre Boulez, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, DG digital:


----------



## Vasks

This was my first Classical music record I bought when I was a teenager. It's permanently imbedded as "the way it should go" even if my logic says that there may be better ways out there.


----------



## Simplicissimus

I’ve curated four recordings into my CD collection. I’m tracking with a couple of Josquin13’s picks: Dorati/LSO on Mercury for the complete ballet and Chailly/RCO for the 1945 Suite. For the 1919 Suite, I have Szell/Cleveland 1961 Sony (via Columbia) and Ormandy/Philadelphia RCA Red Label. My desert island disc is the Ormandy.

I’d like an SACD of the Firebird, and I have my eye on the Dorati (in my collection I have some really successful 3-track SACDs from original 3-track Mercury recordings), but I already have the regular CD. Then there’s the Craft. I’m intrigued by a Pentatone SACD from 2014 performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada. It’s the 1919 Suite. There’s a Youtube teaser of this live concert recording along with an interview with the conductor. Sounds like an unusual but extremely exciting and fun interpretation.


----------



## Heck148

Vasks said:


> This was my first Classical music record I bought when I was a teenager. It's permanently imbedded as "the way it should go" even if my logic says that there may be better ways out there.


It is truly a great one!! It and Giulini/CSO are my favorite Suites....Bernstein with the 50s NYPO wildmen is a real treat....wonderfully sensuous playing, stellar woodwind work...really colorful....I've always loved the Berceuse (Wm Polisi bn), and I've never heard the horn solo at the finale so beautifully intoned (Jas Chambers)...quite magical...
Giulini/CSO is awesome, too, more "classical" in concept, but beautifully and powerfully played....for a real trip - check out any of the Stokowski recordings...he recorded it several times, and they are pretty outrageous....he seemed to be obsessed with the horn glissandi in the finale ...lol!! 
For complete ballet - Boulez/CSO does it for me....


----------



## jegreenwood

Simplicissimus said:


> I've curated four recordings into my CD collection. I'm tracking with a couple of Josquin13's picks: Dorati/LSO on Mercury for the complete ballet and Chailly/RCO for the 1945 Suite. For the 1919 Suite, I have Szell/Cleveland 1961 Sony (via Columbia) and Ormandy/Philadelphia RCA Red Label. My desert island disc is the Ormandy.
> 
> I'd like an SACD of the Firebird, and I have my eye on the Dorati (in my collection I have some really successful 3-track SACDs from original 3-track Mercury recordings), but I already have the regular CD. Then there's the Craft. I'm intrigued by a Pentatone SACD from 2014 performed by the Frankfurt Radio Symphony Orchestra under Andrés Orozco-Estrada. It's the 1919 Suite. There's a Youtube teaser of this live concert recording along with an interview with the conductor. Sounds like an unusual but extremely exciting and fun interpretation.


I have the Dorati SACD. Alas, I don't have a surround system, but it sounds excellent in stereo. I also have a Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky ballet box from Sony. That has both the complete ballet and the suite. Stravinsky's version of the Suite was the first I heard (on LP), and I enjoyed it back then. If the Szell version is in the big box, then I have it (not home to check), but I haven't listened to it.

Joaquin mentioned Litton. He is now the principal conductor of the New York City Ballet. NYCB has a wonderful ballet to the Suite. I've seen it twice but not with Litton as a conductor. I'll put that on my list - for whenever live performances start up again.


----------



## D Smith

The two I listen to the most are Boulez/Chicago and Dorati/Detroit. I'll check out some of the others mentioned here as I love this piece.


----------



## starthrower

Nagano/London Symphony on the Virgin label


----------



## RobertKC

If you want to see the ballet performed, then consider this Blu-ray disc that includes 2008 performances by Valery Gergiev, featuring the Mariinsky Orchestra and Ballet, in the Ballets Russes' production of:


The Firebird
The Rite of Spring











This Blu-ray features excellent quality 1080 high-definition video, and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio (plus, of course, a hi-res stereo track).

Here's an excerpt: 



 (Of course, audio and video quality of the Blu-ray disc is much better than YouTube.)


----------



## adriesba

RobertKC said:


> If you want to see the ballet performed, then consider this Blu-ray disc that includes 2008 performances by Valery Gergiev, featuring the Mariinsky Orchestra and Ballet, in the Ballets Russes' production of:
> 
> 
> The Firebird
> The Rite of Spring
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> This Blu-ray features excellent quality 1080 high-definition video, and DTS-HD MA 5.1 audio (plus, of course, a hi-res stereo track).
> 
> Here's an excerpt:
> 
> 
> 
> (Of course, audio and video quality of the Blu-ray disc is much better than YouTube.)


I definitely want to buy that DVD. So the _Le Sacre _production there uses the reconstructed Nijinsky choreography with Roerich's costume designs and pictures. Can the same sort of thing be said of the _Firebird _production on there? Is it also based on the original production?


----------



## Mathias Broucek

I have a LOT of Firebird recordings but my absolute top favourite is Litton on BIS (full ballet). A great performance in exceptional sound. 

For the suite, Abbado is pretty good and so is Jansons (Sony)


----------



## Simplicissimus

Mathias Broucek said:


> I have a LOT of Firebird recordings but my absolute top favourite is Litton on BIS (full ballet). A great performance in exceptional sound.
> 
> For the suite, Abbado is pretty good and so is Jansons (Sony)


There are two 1919 Suites by Jansons: The one on Sony is with the Symphonieorchester des Bayrischen Rundfunks and is a regular CD, and there's a live performance with the RCO on their own label that's an SACD with 5.0 surround.


----------



## Knorf

Josquin13 said:


> For the complete ballet, I've most liked the recordings by Antal Dorati & the London Symphony Orchestra on Mercury Living Presence (which comes in surprisingly good sound for 1960), the composer's own recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra on CBS (in not so ideal sound, but essential listening anyway), & Charles Dutoit's recording with the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal on a Decca Japanese Shm digital remaster (the best I've heard to date for this recording, sound-wise). Dorati's later digital recording with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra is very good, too.


*Josquin13*, apparently we have identical tastes when it comes to _Firebird_! Your suggestions are almost 100% like mine (I have not heard the Litton is the main difference.) I'd add only add the video that *RobertKC* mentions, with Gergiev.

Seeing all the praise for Litton/Bergen Phil. makes me think I should get that one, too.

In other news, I'd love to get my hands on the Dorati/LSO SACD. People want _absurd_ prices for it on eBay and the Amazon Marketplace. If anyone can point me towards one for sale at a decent price, say $10-15, please let me know!


----------



## realdealblues

Assume you mean complete...

I like:
Dohnanyi/Vienna Philharmonic
Dorati/London Symphony
Ansermet/Orchestre de la Suisse Romande


----------



## Mathias Broucek

Knorf said:


> Seeing all the praise for Litton/Bergen Phil. makes me think I should get that one, too.


While on the subject of Diaghilev ballets on BIS, check out YNS in Daphnis (Rotterdam)


----------

