Customer Reviews

Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet, 1910) / Scriabin: Prometheus- The Poem of Fire ~ Valery Gergiev / Kirov Orchestra, St. Petersburg / Alexander Toradze

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I wish I could write something here that would persuade people that this recording of Stravinksy's Firebird Ballet, well coupled with Scriabin's Prometheus is very much worth having, but frankly I don't think I know where to begin or how to go about it. Firebird, nevertheless, is not just Brass! Brass! Brass! as another reviewer may have been suggesting, however important that element may be, because all the elements that go into it matter, and they're all here in this recording, incredibly beautifully played. As far as I am concerned this is absolutely the only Firebird to have (I have more than this one, including Michael Tilson Thomas' Firebird Ballet and Bernstein's Firbird Suite). I'd give Gergiev's and the Kirov ten stars but I can't!

As we are treated to more of Valery Gergiev's interpretations in recordings his gifts as a conductor and energizer of orchestras become more and more obvious. This FIREBIRD soars like a mltiheaded hydra out of the always electrical fire Gerviev smolders in his baseplate of trembling sonics. This is a spectacular reading of an exciting score, played in the way only the Russians can play. The accompanying PROMETHEUS on the disc finally comes to life after many bombastic attempts under other conductor's hands. Toradze is well tempered and the cause for Scriabin interest in this century is well served by all. This recording is one of incandescent fire!

Both pieces on this recording show why Gergiev is one of the most acclaimed conductors in the world in this repertoire. The excitement of this recording was confirmed when I heard Gergiev and the Kirov live, performing the complete "Firebird" at Carnegie Hall. No question, there are many good versions of this extraordinary piece, but this one certainly ranks among the best.

In terms of sheer, visceral excitement, this is hard to beat, and it is coupled with an equally breathless performance of the Scriabin "Prometheus." The final few measures, and the final chord, make as thrilling an ending as I have heard in classical music.

No one needs debate the merits of Firebird; it is one of the great ballets of all time and a worthwhile addition to any collection. I don't like Prometheus as much, but this is a reflection on Scriabin's composing, not on Kirov's playing, Gergiev's conducting, or the engineering on this disc.

In fact, the engineering on this CD is excellent, and the complete Firebird ballet is played expertly throughout. The famous Danse Infernale is driving, and the Finale is soaring and triumphant.

However, this disc does not receive a full five stars because in my mind it lacks a certain "je ne sais quoi." I really enjoy it, but I sense Gergiev and Kirov hold back a little; I sense that they could have taken it to the next level of excitement but didn't. Don't get me wrong; this CD is great, but I just expected more. And one more thing; in the microsecond of silence just before the crescendo of the last note of Firebird, there is a small scratch on the recording. I can't determine if it came on the tape they used to record the performance or from a rustle of paper or a percussionist picking up something in the concert hall, but it just barely mars the most essential moment of the entire piece. I try to overlook it, but it's something small that stands out in a big way, sort of like a splinter or a tiny pebble stuck in your shoe.

Otherwise, this is a great disc which deserves nearly all of the kudos it receives, and I don't know of a better performance to recommend instead.

Gergiev's Firebird is certainly excellent. But may I mention that another rendition from 1979 by the Wien Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by the underrated Cristoph von Dohnányi is at least, on the same level. Both recordings, made with a difference of 19 years, show a very similar understanding of the score and suggest that nobody found a better reading. Both are better for instance, than Ansermet's and the Swiss Romande Orchestra recording. I still prefer von Dohnányi's Firebird and find it the reference to which all other should be compared. Unfortunately, this CD has recently been discontinued (again, the underrated von Dohnányi), but I think it is worth to look for used or new copies, possibly available.

Gergiev's Poem of Fire is astonishing. How could Scriabin go so far at the turn of the twentieth century? How could he go from a Chopinian romantism of his first piano sonatas to Universal texts beyond the impressionism and beyond modernism? To what extent was he influenced by the challenging ideas brought by the emerging modern physics and the new vision of the Universe it disclosed? Is Scriabin an equivalent in music, of the great fathers of modern physics, by pointing to unsuspected new forms? Does he express our deep whishes of Universality? Scriabin seems to have a very optimistic vision of humanity, by telling us that our wishes are achievable. And his music is beautiful. Gergiev/Toradze do a superb work by not interfering in Scriabin's concepts. They just leave the cosmic poem to deploy and appear in its greatness. This is what Scriabin's work calls for. It is a privilege for us, to have available such a masterpiece with such interpretation.

This is a thouroughly enjoyable performance. I just hope your equipment and listening environment allow you to hear everything that's going on here. It was recorded using Jaap de Jong vacuum tube equipment. If the name means nothing to you, just take it for granted that great care was taken to make this a quiet, spacious, detailed, and dynamic recording.

An extraordinary performace, an extraordinary recording. The carillon feerique is breathtaking, the danse infernale electrifying. But the performance can also be exquisitely delicate. And along with everything else, some delightful surprises. Too bad one can hear this for the first time only once. 10 stars.

The entire critical world decided to adore this CD when it was released in 1998, and one can understand why. The greatness of the Kirov Orch. was a novelty in the West, and the dynamic Valery Gergiev was erupting on the scene with increasing eclat. The sonics from Philips remain amazingly clear and detailed. But it helps to describe what this complete 1910 Firebird actually feels like. Is it, as the first Amazon review says, "raw, pagan splendor and over-the-top excitement"?

Actually, much of Gergiev's interpretation is softer and more rounded off than what we get from, say, Boulez on DG or the composer himself on Sony. Also, there's a general feeling of romance that's very different from the crisp, emotionally detached way in which Stravinsky wanted his music played. But if any score can be treated as the love child of Scheherazade and Leopold Stokowski, this is it. So I applaud Gergiev's lush, colorful yet extremely detailed reading. Things can languish a bit, as in the drawn-out Supplication of the Firebird, but one's attention is held captive by hearing the score's every thread exposed as never before. No Soviet-era orchestra ever came close.

Scriabin's Prometheus Sym., which shares many gestures with the Firebird, is given a blockbuster performance that's even rarer, its concerto-like piano part done with great spirit by Alexander Toradze, a favorite of Gergiev's.

I fully agree with the ratings of the other reviewers and this would be my top recommendation for recordings of this work both on the grounds of interpretation and most certainly on the grounds of the spectacular recording quality.Personally the Scriabin coupling is not my favourite music,but this in no way detracts from my rating in any way.A triumph for all concerned