Customer Reviews

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring & Petrushka

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

 

 

I must admit, I was very skeptical of the Oslo Philharmonic orchestra, at such a cheap price, pulling off an exceptional performance of an exceptionally difficult work. However, the results speak for themselves. I am intimately familiar with the work, and this is one of the most rythmically acurate recordings ever. It even surpasses Pierre Boulez and the New York Phil, which is not too shabby. There are moments in this piece where even the very best orchestras can sound like they are on the verge of disaster, but not so here. Everything is precise as could ever be expected. A superb recording and performance all around.

As for the recording quality, again I must say that this piece demands clarity which the recording undeniably offers. A booming base is dramatic, yes, but can obscure the already extremely thick textures that are Stravinsky's musical pallete. I really believe that you can hear every note on this recording. And the end of the first part is show stoppingly breath taking. You'll want to jump around and stomp around with the music, as Nijinsky originally imagined. And besides that, you'll feel the urge to riot along with the original historic performance, not out of anger at the piece, but out of anger with the piece. It's that kind of performance, at an unbeatable price.

As for Petroushka, well, I don't know. I must admit I haven't listened to it as feverishly. The atmosphere is big and carnival, as it should be, but something about the performance hasn't drawn me in. It's as though there is no foothold to grab onto, which you can then use to climb into greater understanding and appreciation of the work. A whole lot of notes are thrown at you and pounded down your throat, with only limited understanding of what those notes are doing in the first place. But I bought this album for Rite of Spring, and I suggest you do the same. It gets five stars for that and that along. If I were looking for a recording of Petroushka, then I would give this recording two stars. But for... bucks, it's worth it and then some. This is my absolute favorite recording of the Rite of Spring.

When this recording was initially released on EMI, I thought it was a good but not great recording for its price range, particularly when there were so many other versions of both works available. Now, with its release on Seraphim, I would say that is an excellent buy. What initially bothered me about the recording in its full price release was that the sound was extremely dry in relation to other performances. This dryness took away from the bass end of the spectrum, leaving us with a less potent impression of the Rite of Spring than we would normally get in concert. I refer to the lack of oomph to the bass drum in the final "Dance Sacrale".This I suspect was due more to the way it was recorded, and to the problematical acoustics of the Oslo Konserthus, than to any fault of the musicians. Interpretively, Mariss Jansons leads a more than repectable account of both masterpieces, with Petrouchka coming off really well in terms of atmosphere. He really manages to conjure up a carnival atmosphere. He is aided by some superlative solo contributions from pianist Gonzalo Moreno,flutist Torkhil Bye, trumpetist Jan Fredrik Christiansen, and bassoonist Eirik Birkeland. (The cover credits Per Hannisdal as solo basson in Petrouchka, but if memory serves me correctly, it was Mr. Birkeland who soloed in Petrouchka,while Mr. Hannisdal soloed in the Rite of Spring (beautifully done,as well)! It is a fun performance, full of character! The Rite of Spring has its moments as well. I particularly like the conclusion of Part One, and Jansons again comes up trumps with an atmospheric reading of the Introduction to the Second Part. There is no lack of committment from the OPO,who despite the acoustic and recording, give an excellent account of themselves. Now that this recording is on the budget Seraphim label, I can safely give it a good recommend!

This recording delivers the best and deserves the best, which is why it gets five stars. The Rite of Spring on this CD is amazingly clear and you can clearly depict in your mind the young woman dancing herself to death in front of the elders. This cd features the mightiest horn section I have ever heard in all my years of listening to classical music. Heck the whole brass section is the best I've heard. I have the score and I have followed every instrument along through the entire Rite and found that every instrument is played with clarity and precision. I was amazed at how well this ensemble plays together. This recording is a must have for any Stravinsky fan. I promise this will end your pursuit for the perfect Rite. But as for Petrouchka you will have to look somewhere else for a recording to end that search. It is performed very comically and sounds like 3/4 of the orchestra is still in the Rite of Spring mood. Petrouchka deserves 3 stars but you have to hear the Rite to know why I gave it five stars. I am so serious that if you buy this cd you will not be disappointed. I can't tell you how good it is in words. But the orchestra tells you just how good they are through their musicality and the conductor is a compliment to this cd.

It seems the players, and sound engineers then, were very concerned to get a perfect and clear sound, and they got it, really they got it! but forgot one important thing, sound is not all, what about expressiveness? When I listen this version, I admire the perfection of the interpretation but I do not get to "flavor" this, the sound is very dry, it lacks of ressonance which would help to give more continuity; I easly loose concentration and I think these particular Stravinsky's works dispose to have expectations, the ears well opened and the foots screwed to the floor, but this orchestra (at least for me) do not carry me to that feeling.
I have a pair of versions (Jochum and Monteaux) with no much sound perfection but with much "savage" expressiveness.