Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: The Mono Years [Original recording remastered]

Stravinsky (Composer, Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: Stravinsky
• Composer: Stravinsky
• Audio CD (October 20, 1998)
• SPARS Code: ADD
• Number of Discs: 2
• Format: Original recording remastered
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B00000C3SN
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #326,946 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

Disc: 1

1. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene I - Prologue

2. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene II: A Village Fete

3. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: By The Mill

4. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: Pas de deux -- Entree

5. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: Adagio

6. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: Variation

7. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: Coda

8. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene III: Scene

9. Le baiser de la Fee: Scene IV: Epilogue - (Berceuse Of The Eternal Dwellings)

10. Symphony In C: I Moderato alla breve

See all 14 tracks on this disc

Disc: 2

1. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Overture: Allegro moderato

2. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Serenata. Larghetto

3. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Scherzino. Allegro

4. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Più vivo - Allegro

5. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Andantino

6. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Allegro

7. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Ancora poco meno ('Contento forse')

8. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Allegro assai

9. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Allegro - alla breve ('Con queste')

10. Pulcinella - (Ballet With Song In One Act After Pergolesi - Complete): Andante ('Sento dire')

See all 43 tracks on this disc

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential recording for a Stravinsky library, June 29, 2000

By 

Keith Peters - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: The Mono Years (Audio CD)

Igor Stravinsky proves in these recordings that he was a master conductor of his own music. The Pulcinella complete ballet has never sounded so vibrant. The Symphony in C is crisp and energetic with its fourth movement final chorale very poignant. Add the Octet, the Tchaikovskian Fairy's Kiss, and the suite from L'Histoire and you have two very full discs of authoritative Stravinsky. Sony has taken these gems from the early to mid 50s Columbia Masterworks Catalog, remastered the Severance Hall recordings,and has put an excellent package around it. Tim Page may be one of the best writers on music around and these liner notes are no exception. The mono sound is perfectly serviceable. Get this one quick!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent examples of Stravinsky as conductor, in fine remastering, January 24, 2009

By 

Santa Fe Listener (Santa Fe, NM USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 500 REVIEWER)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: The Mono Years (Audio CD)

This collection of Stravinsky's monaural recordings for Columbia Records is out of print and very expensive, so it might help for the prospective buyer to know exactly what lies in store.

CD 1 and half of CD 2 derive from sessions with the Cleveland Orch. in Dec. 1955. The works are The Fairy's Kiss, Sym. in C, and Pulcinella (complete with vocal soloists, in this case local Clevelandrs, I believe). CD 2 is rounded out with the L'Histoire du Soldat Suite and the Octet, derived from sessions in Jan. 1954 in New York. The small ensemble consists of outstanding freelances and members of the NY Phil. They are recorded cearly and very close up.

The Cleveland recordings re in spacious, detailed monaural sound that has remastered very well; these could be mistaken for modern recordings. Stravinsky made very good stereo remakes of the Sym. in C and Pulcinella, but the earlier versions are tidier and better played. The composer was somewhat less fierce in the Sym. in C in 1955. A deciding factor in Pulcinella might be that the vocal soloists in the later, stereo version are so much better -- the Cleveland singers really struggle at times.

His remakes of The Fairy's Kiss and L'Histoire weren't nearly as good as these early accounts, however, in terms of rhythmic vigor and ensemble.
Which leaves the Octet. I haven't listened to the stereo remake recently - I did audition all the others -- but this early one is exceptionally good, and with a small chamber group it hardly matters that it's in mono.

In the final analysis, everything on these two CDs shows Stravinsky the conductor at his best. I assume that the sellers at Amazon are offering the deluxe packaaging of the original releases on Masterworks Heritage -- at these prices, they should be.

5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must for lovers of Stravinsky's music, June 21, 2000

By 

Keith Peters - See all my reviews

This review is from: Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: The Mono Years (Audio CD)

This is a truly fantastic CD. I had heard that the early 50s Stravinsky led recordings of his own music were wonderful but I had no idea that they were this good. All of the selections on this two CD package are wonderful; in the case of the Symphony in C, L'Histoire du Soldat, and Pulcinella, they could be first choices for your library. The packaging by Sony Classical is first-rate. Scoop this up before it goes out of print.