Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Petrushka / Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)

Igor Stravinsky (Composer, Conductor), Columbia Symphony Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Columbia Symphony Orchestra
• Conductor: Igor Stravinsky
• Composer: Igor Stravinsky
• Audio CD (October 25, 1990)
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony / CBS
• ASIN: B0000026GJ
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Music
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (30 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,433 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #6 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Historical Periods > Modern & 20th Century
  • #19 in Music > Classical > Ballets & Dances > Ballets
  • #65 in Music > Classical > Historical Periods > Modern, 20th, & 21st Century > General Modern

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

Whatever the limitations of Stravinsky's baton technique, no one else on disc conjures the same bustling excitement at the outset of Petrouchka. Overlapping, polyrhythmic textures in Petrouchka and in Le Sacre du Printemps come off with Mozartian lucidity, Mendelssonian lightness, and, well, Stravinsky-esque rhythmic exactitude (notwithstanding a few hesitant entrances). The clarity partly stems from the composer's use of his leaner revised scores, helped by close-up, analytical mike work by CBS. There are, of course, slicker, more sonically opulent versions of these 20th century landmarks. And then there are Stravinsky's. --Jed Distler

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

34 of 35 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Stravinsky as only Stravinsky could conduct Stravinsky March 9, 2002

By A. Michaelson

Format:Audio CD

Now that I've said the name Stravinsky three times, I do believe I ought to get to the review. Well, I must say that there are many great versions and different interpretations of Petruchka and The Rite of Spring, Stravinsky's two greatest ballets. And though many come close, none quite match Stravinsky's own interpretations of his own works. For one, no other conductor (except for perhaps Leonard Bernstein) could conduct this music quite as intensely. Stravinsky wrings out every last ounce of emotion and passion from the orchestra. Never before or since has there been anybody who could conduct the music as rythmically precise as Stravinsky. Pierre Boulez comes the closest, but he's not quite there. Stravinsky's sense of rhythym is a bit more precise and as a result the interpretation is sharper and more incisive(as it was meant to be). Another interesting fact about the recording is that the music is played much more playfully than under the baton of most other conductors, who play these pieces as if they suffered from Wagnerian heaviness. It is rather refreshing to hear the music played in a 20th century, not over romanticized, fashion. The sound quality is also quite good, and excellent considering that these are recordings from the 60s. I must say the only drawback that this album suffers from is the fact that Stravinsky's revised score for the Rite of Spring is used rather than the full original version. It's not much different, but if you know the ballet you'll notice. Not to say you won't enjoy it, because quite simply, this is one of the best Stravinsky recordings available. The Petrouchka is especially amazing and extremeley catchy. This is a great CD. Enough Said.

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars It's still a classic April 27, 2000

By Ray Barnes

Format:Audio CD

Whatever reservations one may have about the transparency of the recording, although it's pretty good, Stravinsky's own reading of Le Sacre has a level of savagery and almost daemonic power that has been imitated many times since but never quite duplicated. Petrushka is also played in a very bracing, invigorating manner. The Columbia Symphony Orchestra was a select group of top-drawer musicians, many of whom came from the New York Philharmonic Orchestra, who were recruited expressly for the purpose of making recordings. These musicians are the same as those on Bruno Walter's legendary accounts of the Bruckner 9th and the Mahler 1st and 2nd. At medium price this should be an essential part of every collection. Strongly recommended.

43 of 49 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars From the Master March 28, 2004

By Good Stuff

Format:Audio CD

I had the great good fortune to attend a concert of Stravinsky's music partially conducted by Stravinsky himself in Beverly Hills, CA. I don't remember the exact year, but it would have been in the late '60s. In other words, just a few years before his passing.
He shared conducting duties with his long-time associate, Robert Craft.

Because of his obvious age and frailty, it was expected he would sort of ceremoniously conduct one or perhaps two of his shorter works, leaving the bulk of the concert to Craft. Imagine my, and the audience's astonishment when we saw in the program that Maestro Stravinsky would be the conductor for several works, culminating in the concluding work on the program, "Le Sacre du printemps".

When the time came for "Le Sacre", the maestro, assisted and with some difficulty, made his way to the podium, at which he, not surprisingly, sat. He gazed at the score for a long moment. Slowly, his gaze rose from the score to his orchestra, which he observed for a few seconds, which seemed like hours. The audience grew silent with expectation. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his baton. And it began. What followed for the next 30 plus minutes was one of the most electrifying, galvanizing, and thrilling performances of anything I have ever seen or heard in my life, before or since.

After the concert I made it a point to chat with several friends of mine who were in the orchetra. I suggested that the orchestra must have been well prepared by Robert Craft so that Maestro Stravinsky would be better able to conserve his energy. To a man (and woman) they assured me that absolutely the opposite was the case. The portions of the concert, including "Le Sacre" that Stravinsky was to conduct were rehearsed, in total, by Stravinsky himself.... In addition, Stravinsky attended the rehearsals for the balance of the program and had no problem contributing whatever he felt was necessary to the procedings. They also found him to be extremely alert and utterly charming.

How can I recommend anyone else's performance of "Le Sacre du printemps"? There is only one, and this is it. Read more ›

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars A few caveats and corrections for full disclosure. June 24, 2010

By R. V. Wendel

Format:Audio CD

I grew up with these recordings on LP, and the transfer to CD is wondrous, even to correcting a glaring recording/splice error on what is now track 18. But note: This CD is mislabelled! Petrushka is NOT the 1911 original version, it is the 1947 revision! In many ways, I have always preferred this cleaner version, but if you are used to hearing the original, you'll note a number of subtle differences and a few glaring ones, like the total absence of the glockenspeil! (Most notable in the recapitulation section of the Shrovetide Fair and again in the opening of the final tableau.) This disc is still a must have, but know what you are getting. Like wise, the Rite is mostly the 1947 revision with a few additional changes Stravinsky made in 1961, which he spoke of in the original LP liner notes. Again, while it is fascinating to hear Stravinky's take on his own work (surprisingly fast in some sections, and slow in others) this should not be the only recordings of both of these works you ever buy. This recording sits beside the 1959 Dorati/Mercury Living Presence recording with it's recorded clarity and breath-taking tempi, Boulez/CBS 1966 recording for it's combination or clarity and raw power, and Tillson-Thomas/SFO recording for its overall combination of ALL of the above.