Customer Reviews

Stravinsky: Firebird, Rite Of Spring, Persephone / Tilson Thomas, San Francisco SO

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I agree with most reviews I have read--MTT takes overall a lyrical view of all three works. Persephone benefits most from this. All works clearly exhibit MTT's ability to maintain a rock solid rhythmic pulse. Recordings are clear and well-focused. Since I collect all versions of these works, they were must acquisitions. Now that I've heard them, I'd put all three works near the tops of my "lists". Haitink's Firebird on Philips provides more shear wonder and beautiful phrasing. Zander's Rite is still very thrilling, though I recall a late 50's Monteux on RCA with the Orch. Paris Cons. that struck me at the time as nearly overwhelming. Igor Markevich's several recordings are similarly in a special class. So, MTT provides intiguing insights into the workings of the Rite's orchestration, but you won't whisper "wow" at its end. Persephone is, on the other hand, altogether wonderful.

The San Francisco Symphony has experienced a rebirth with Michael Tilson Thomas, and nowhere are the results more dramatically demonstrated than in this outstanding CD set. Whether Thomas's personal relationship with Stravinsky makes any difference in his readings is hard to say - someone should ask him - but the ballet warhorses come to life in this CD and Persephone is a revelation to those who, like me, had never heard it before. The sound quality of these CDs is also outstanding, particularly on a system that can handle a wide dynamic range and present a realistic illusion of the orchestra arrayed across the stage. Most large label recordings do not match the sound quality of this one. It deserved all of its Grammys, including the engineering award, as in this case the engineering serves the music and proves what a big label can do when it tries hard enough.

This is the best recording of the Rite of Spring on CD ever! The engineering is top notch (much better than most recordings these days), which befits the Rite and the Firebird. As for the performance itself, the recording of the rite is excellent, with lots of contrast between the heavy percussive parts and the more lyrical passages. There are also some dramatic tempo changes in the work which are played out quite well. Overall, I prefer this Rite to the Bernstein recording.

The Firebird is acceptable. The finale is not as overpowering as the Gergiev recording, but the work is easier to listen to as a whole than the Gergiev version.

Then to top it all off, Persephone is included in this set, probably one of the few recordings made of this work, and is also a good listen.

Probably one of the best recordings of Le Sacre du Printemps and L'Oiseau Feu and the best recording I've heard of Persophone, Michael Tilson Thomas and the brilliant San Francisco Symphony brings a refreshing new look to classic Stravinsky.

Persophone is an abosolute gem of a work. Rarely performed or heard on the radio, SFS took a chance in putting in on this CD in lieu of the often coupled Petroushka. The soloists are superb.

Le Sacre du Printemps is a challenge for any orchestra, but this group is able to make it seem easy yet full of life. This interpretation can easily be compared to many of the great recordings. The brass are clear and pristine, the strings lush and, when need be, brash, the ensemble playing, succinct.

I have always preferred the full ballet version of the Firebird over the suite for reasons of orchestration and a fuller effect on the lister. There is so much more life in the full ballet, which can be heard with MTT and the SFS. It is dramatic, lush, powerful, full of life, colorful, and eminates youthful exhuberence. The winds in this recording bring such vitality to their parts.

If there were any complaints I would have for the recording, it would be Bernstein's influence on MTT sprouting in the score, from a few fermatas held too long and rubato that didn't seem to work. Nevertheless, the energy that this group puts into the piece is phenomenal and breathtaking.

I agree that this is an absolutely wonderful set, however I think that the thing that makes it most special is Persephone. I have Gergiev's Firebird, and frankly, I think it is better (and I don't think that MTT's Firebird is easier to listen to--the oppisite, as a matter of fact). Admittedly, MTT's Rite of Spring is wonderful, but what is truly exceptional--and absolutely beautiful is Persephone. Also, although it does take more than one or two listenings to begin to fully appreciate Persphone, it does not necessarily take five years...more like a couple of months! And it doesn't hurt to read the following in the accompanying pamphlet (complete with Gide's poetic French text to Persphone, also translated into English, following): "Persephone is also the composer's love song to Vera de Bosset who became Vera Stravinsky in 1940: 'Whatever tenderness or beauty may be found in the music is my poor response to those qualities in her.' "

Yes, this disc won a shwammy-grammy, and yes I do think Tilson Thomas is rather overrated in the US. However, this is really a wonderful Stravinsky set. Tilson Thomas is above all a wonderful colourist, which suits these scores just fine, especially The Firebird, where Tilson Thomas brings out the links with Rimsky-Korsakov (who was, after all, Stravinsky's teacher). The Rite of Spring receives a performance that strikes an astounding balance between sheer force and precision/clarity. Sure, Boulez is clearer, and people like Mravinsky certainly bring out more punch, but here you get the best of both worlds. It's not an extremist recording, but it's certainly unique, and I'm very happy with it. What really made me buy this disc is Persephone. It is a *beautiful* work, and in many ways it is more subtle that the other two ballets in this set. Don't expect to love Persephone after a first listening though -- I certainly didn't when I first listened to it five years ago. Yet coming back to it, I realize that I was a fool back then. Its poetry is like listening to a Mozart symphony after listening to a couple by Beethoven (a good analogy for this set, I think). All three works are wonderful in their own ways. My only (very small) complaints also concern Persephone. The tenor is rather dry in his upper register, but I don't mind too much (it's a bloody difficult part!), and the speaker (what a wonderful voice she has!) is balanced strangely with the orchestra -- as if she were amplified like a pop singer (or perhaps she was overdubbed?). Well, no matter. This is a great set of discs. Do give them a try.

This 3-disc set I think is one of the best Stravinsky purchases any music lover could make. Persephone is awesome, and I love the narration. The Firebird, however, is not the most exciting rendition ever, although I think the superb playing and balance of the orchestra give MTT's interpretation of the music its meaning. The standout in the set is The Right of Spring. Not only do I think it is the best recordings of it ever made, I think it is also one of the best recordings ever released of any work...ever. You will never hear tighter orchestra playing than in SFSO's Right of Spring. MTT knows exactly what he's doing at every moment; every inner voice is heard, and the flow and progression from movements feels so natural yet exciting. For those of you out there who are misinformed about the best brass sections in the country, choosing to side with the archaic has-beens of the CSO, or the egotistical competition junkies that pass for section players in the NY Phil, let me inform you, San Francisco Symphony has the best brass sections right now. Listen to the trombones, and you will hear a demonstration in power and control by Mark Lawrence and Paul Welcommer. The horns demonstrate accuracy as well as perfect blend, and Dave Kreibel cuts through the orhcestra demonically in the Procession of the Sage movement. Then there are the trumpets. Principal trumpet Glenn Fiscthal basically teaches a masterclass on modern orchestral piccolo trumpet playing with this recording. MTT asked Glenn to, quote, "Play as loud as you can" on specific parts of the piece, namely the 2nd, 5th, and 6th movements of Part 1. The effect is astounding. The woodwind playing also sets a new standard for other orchestras to be compared to. Every part blends perfectly, and the soloists are phenomenal. The percussion...wow, I know I am going on and on, but they are simply amazing, making their instruments truly earth shattering. Overall though, the most impressive thing about this recording, is that the technique that goes into the playing of The Right of Spring is totally inaudible, and the listener is treated to a cohesive and exciting musical experience. The most impressive thing about the orchestra, is that no section stands out beyond another, they each match one another with artistry, and the overall effect is a storm of sounds that goes beyond instrumentalists simply playing their parts, but to the true musical and emotional meaning of The Right of Spring. These aren't simply musicians playing notes, this is an orchestra crying out and summoning the destruction of the earth. Every music lover needs to have this Stravinsky set in their collection.

As an orchestral trombonist, I looked a long time for the Rite of Spring recording to add to my collection. I finally settled on this one and "WOW!!" is all I can say. Tilson Thomas, while a very fine conductor, sometimes forgets about the emotion of a piece, that is, often I find his interpretations too smooth. Here, however, he allows the full savagery and fire of this music to come out - the brass searing,the strings raspy where necessary and the all important basson solo is smooth and gorgeous. I fully endorse the multiple Grammys this set was awarded. There may be other Rites of Spring that do individual things well, (namely the stellar sonics and bass drum/organ impact on the Salonen/LA Phil recording from 2003 or the visceral, primal, if flawed reading Gergiev gives) however overall this set rises above the rest. While I intend to get the others I just mentioned for comparison, this set will be the standard by which I judge future recordings; the playing is flawless and the interpretation is above reproach.

Personally, this is my favorite recording of the Rite of Spring and The Firebird. I am not going to say that it's the best because that leads to most of the garbage you see in the other reviews. While I still enjoy the recordings Stravinsky himself lead, Boulez's interpretation, and especially Igor Markevich's interpretation, I find no difficulty recommending this set above them all. To put it simply, Stravinsky's music has never sounded better. This recording is rhythically precise, meticulously colored with beautiful solo and section playing in the winds and brass and yet still maintains the character and barbaric drive we have come to expect from this music. I agree that this recording does not have the sheer brutal intensity of some of the aforementioned recordings and especially that of Gergiev. However, this recording shows the inner workings of the piece and gives the music even more character by highlighting the orchestrational inventiveness of the work. While the recording of Persephone is wonderful and shares the traits already mentioned in the Firebird and Rite of Spring recordings, the work itself, to me, does not meet the same high level as the other two. And while it is good to have a great recording of this seldom heard work, I would have preferred a reading of Petrouchka instead. But Whatever! This recording is still great with fantastic playing and Godly recorded sound. This is one of the better purchases I have made. Enjoy!

Like his earlier collections of Stravinsky, Michael Tilson Thomas has again done yeoman service for the composer, coupling familiar works of Stravinsky with lesser known compositions. In this collection, he has taken Stravinsky's two most popular ballets, Firebird and Le Sacre du Printemps and combined them with his melodrama Persephone, Stravinsky's unjustly neglected work in collaboration with librettist Andre Gide and dancer Ida Rubinstein. Persephone turns out to be one of Stravinsky's most beautiful compositions (written for his second wife, Vera). Tenor Stuart Neill (aside from a few odd vowels), narrator Stephanie Cosserat, Tilson Thomas and his San Francisco forces are all magnificent for this performance which has rarely been out of my CD player since I purchased it. Le Sacre and the Firebird are wonderful as well. The engineering is top notch as is the packaging. Well deserving of the Grammies it won!