Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 [Hybrid SACD - DSD]

Igor Stravinsky (Composer), Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky (Composer), Lorin Maazel (Conductor), Cleveland Orchestra (Orchestra) | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Orchestra: Cleveland Orchestra
• Conductor: Lorin Maazel
• Composer: Igor Stravinsky, Pyotr Il'yich Tchaikovsky
• Audio CD (January 1, 2002)
• SPARS Code: DDD
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Hybrid SACD - DSD
• Label: Telarc
• ASIN: B00005QZLB
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #76,434 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)

Track Listings

1. Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Andante sostenuto. Moderato con anima. Moderato assai, quasi Andante. Allegro vivo

2. Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Andantino in modo di canzone

3. Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Scherzo: Pizzicato ostinato. Allegro

4. Symphony No. 4 in F minor, Op. 36: Finale: Allegro con fuoco

5. The Adoration of the Earth: Introduction

6. The Adoration of the Earth: The Auguries of Spring / Dances of the Adolescent Girls

7. The Adoration of the Earth: Game Of Abduction

8. The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Rounds

9. The Adoration of the Earth: Games of Rival Tribes

10. The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Sage

11. The Adoration of the Earth: The Sage

12. The Adoration of the Earth: Dance of the Earth

13. The Sacrifice: Introduction

14. The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls

15. The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen One

16. The Sacrifice: Evocation of the Elders

17. The Sacrifice: Ritual Action of the Elders

18. The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance

Editorial Reviews

No Description Available
No Track Information Available
Media Type: SACD
Artist: STRAVINSKY/TCHAIKOVSKY
Title: RITE OF SPRING/SYM 4
Street Release Date: 10/23/2001
Domestic
Genre: CLASSICAL COMPOSERS

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great sonics, September 30, 2004

By 

James M. Shertzer (Winston-Salem NC) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

This Rite of Spring has always been an impressive performance (and one of my favorite). An early Telarc digital triumph in the waning days of vinyl, it's even better in this stunning new SACD incarnation. The depth of field is uncanny, far better than on either the original vinyl or earlier CD version. The Tchaikovsky is perhaps less impressive but more than acceptable. Apart from the fact that both pieces are by Russians and can be VERY loud, I'm not sure I understand the pairing, though.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Performance and upgraded sound, July 17, 2008

By 

Dennis Brandt (Red Lion, PA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

There was always something a bit annoying about the sound of the early Telarcs recorded on the Soundstream digital machine. Turns out it was because the sampling rate was 50kHz, and the downsampling to 44.1kHz added many unwanted digital artifacts. With SACD technology, they can upsample the original master to 2.8MHz and then get an artifact-free downsampling to the standard CD. Even if you don't have an SACD player, replace your old version with this one. It's that much better sonically. In fact, I cannot tell the standard CD from the SACD layer. (That difference is apparent for those originally recorded in SACD, however.)

This is a superlative performance by a world-class orchestra. They give it a powerful and chilling sense of horror this music and its subject demands. I vote this as the finest performance of the Rite I've ever heard.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Slightly Wayward Performances in Spectacular Sound, March 22, 2008

By 

Hank Drake (Cleveland, OH United States) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (VINE VOICE)   

This review is from: Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; Tchaikovsky: Symphony No. 4 (Audio CD)

The Cleveland Orchestra under Lorin Maazel made all too few recordings for Telarc, a Cleveland based company which offered sonics far superior to the orchestra's other label, CBS. The repertoire tended toward orchestral showpieces, doubtless intended to show off the then-new digital recording technology.

As usual with Maazel, the performances are technically spectacular, the interpretations wayward. Tempos in the Tchaikovsky are in the range or normality, but Maazel tampers with the orchestration. Percussion is added to the beginning of the finale.

I initially heard this recording of The Rite of Spring on an LP. The dynamics were not compressed and some of the louder passages literally bounced the needle out of the groove. Maazel doesn't tamper with the orchestration here, but his tempos are all over the map, with rubatos and ritardandos liberally applied (which is poles apart from Stravinsky's intentions). The thought of a ballet troupe having to dance to this interpretation boggles the mind. The beginning of the Glorification of the Chosen One is played at approximately HALF the tempo indicated in the score. This is certainly an exciting performance, but because of Maazel's eccentricities, I cannot recommend it as a reference version.

In the 1980s, it would have been hard to imagine these recordings sounding even more spectacular, but Telarc have outdone themselves. If you're looking to show off your sound system or the incredible playing of the Cleveland Orchestra, these recordings are a good fit.