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Track Listings
| 1. Introduction. Lento - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 2. The Spring Divinations - Dances Of The Young Girls - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 3. Mock Abduction - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 4. Spring Round Dances - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 5. Games Of The Rival Tribes - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 6. Procession Of The Wise Elder - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 7. Dance Of The Earth - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 8. Introduction. Largo - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 9. Mystical Circles Of The Young Girls - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 10. Glorification Of The Chosen Victim - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 11. Summoning Of The Ancestors - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 12. Ritual Of The Ancestors - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 13. Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen Victim) - London Symphony Orchestra | |||
| 14. Introduction - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 15. The Firebird And Its Dance - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 16. Variation Of The Firebird - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 17. The Princesses' Round - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 18. Infernal Dance Of King Kashchei - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 19. Lullaby - Leonard Bernstein | |||
| 20. Finale - Leonard Bernstein | |||
See all 24 tracks on this disc
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Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Considering that Stravinsky's Rite of Spring has been around for nearly a century, it's surprising that even today, conductors literally get lost while attempting to beat through it--and that goes for some of the biggest names. Difficult as the piece is, conductors have no excuse for major lapses, now that this recording is available for study. Bernstein not only keeps complete control of the complex rhythms and constantly-switching meters throughout the work but he also interprets it with fire and sweep and emotional versatility. The Firebird is equally breathtaking. It's priceless, too, for the fabulous horn solo played by the New York Philharmonic's legendary James Chambers. --Gwendolyn Freed
Customer Reviews
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
40 of 45 people found the following review helpful
By Shota Hanai
Format:Audio CD
It's a pity for me for this album to put the 70s recording Lenny did with the LSO on Stravinsky's revolutionary "Rite of Spring" instead of the performance he did with the NYPO about a decade earlier.
The 60s recording (which sadly may be only available in the "Royal Edition" series) remains on of my favorite performance of the "Rite" (along with the "Fast and the Furious" Ozawa's with the CSO on RCA), because it has more brashness in the music, more savagery, more tension. His interpretation is far more extraordinary compared to this recording in this album. The extra "ornaments" Lenny added to further exxagerate the wildness and primitiveness in the 60s recording has competely disappeared in this performance, making a more commonplace, even tamed, performance. Same goes with the 80s performance on DG with the Isreal Phil.
Lenny's performance "Firebird" Suite, on the other hand... is an electrifying 5 Star performance... THE main attraction of the album, not the 70s "Rite". This recording was done in the 60s with the NYPO, so there is more youthness and vigor in the performance. While the sound quality is not at its best, the performace is as hot as it can get. You will especially love the climax of the "Infernal Dance" and the "Finale". The only other recording I equally love is Claudio Abbado's performance with the LSO on DG, powerful in its own way... and more crystal-clear).
Proikofiev's "Scythian Suite" (the Bonus tracks) is another plus in this album. The "Dance of the Dark Spirits" is especially thrilling, as Lenny actually takes the tempo a bit faster compared to most other performances, including Abbado on DG and Jarvi on Chandos.
P.S. - Do you notice the "Jaws" theme hidden under the movment?
The 60s recording (which sadly may be only available in the "Royal Edition" series) remains on of my favorite performance of the "Rite" (along with the "Fast and the Furious" Ozawa's with the CSO on RCA), because it has more brashness in the music, more savagery, more tension. His interpretation is far more extraordinary compared to this recording in this album. The extra "ornaments" Lenny added to further exxagerate the wildness and primitiveness in the 60s recording has competely disappeared in this performance, making a more commonplace, even tamed, performance. Same goes with the 80s performance on DG with the Isreal Phil.
Lenny's performance "Firebird" Suite, on the other hand... is an electrifying 5 Star performance... THE main attraction of the album, not the 70s "Rite". This recording was done in the 60s with the NYPO, so there is more youthness and vigor in the performance. While the sound quality is not at its best, the performace is as hot as it can get. You will especially love the climax of the "Infernal Dance" and the "Finale". The only other recording I equally love is Claudio Abbado's performance with the LSO on DG, powerful in its own way... and more crystal-clear).
Proikofiev's "Scythian Suite" (the Bonus tracks) is another plus in this album. The "Dance of the Dark Spirits" is especially thrilling, as Lenny actually takes the tempo a bit faster compared to most other performances, including Abbado on DG and Jarvi on Chandos.
P.S. - Do you notice the "Jaws" theme hidden under the movment?
7 of 7 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD|Amazon Verified Purchase
Leonard Bernstein turns an absolutely scorching reading of "The Rite of Spring" in this recording for Sony. What this reading manages to do is leave the listener on the edge of his/her chair anticipating the next phrase. It's savage, it's brutal, it's completely raw, this is where Bernstein excelled in my opinion. This is "The Rite.." with a kind of high-octane engine. The London Symphony Orchestra should be commended for their performance. It will leave you breathless.
The other selections Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite" are also fantastic performances, but it's "The Rite" that steals the show here. I still return to this one and I own most of them: Chailly, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Dutoit, Ansermet, Boulez, Salonen, and Stravinsky's own conducting performance. Highly recommended.
The other selections Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite" are also fantastic performances, but it's "The Rite" that steals the show here. I still return to this one and I own most of them: Chailly, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Dutoit, Ansermet, Boulez, Salonen, and Stravinsky's own conducting performance. Highly recommended.
7 of 9 people found the following review helpful
Format:Audio CD
In the Royal Edition of Bernstein's recordings with the NY Phil., there was a hair-raising Le Sacre dating from 1958 in vivid sound with lots of impact and incredibly virtuosic playing. This was followed by a surround-sound remake with the London Sym. in 1972 as the fflagship for Columbia's attempt to promote "quadraphoonic sound," a multi-channel successor to stereo which never cuaght on.
The first recording occasioned a "wow" from Stravinsky in one of his memoirs (no doubt in part being ironic). The second recordingt is just as splashy and extroverted, although I prefer 1958 as the more flexible and less blatantly aimed at audiophiles. Both are wonderful and show off Bernstein's exuberance at its best, along with his incredible rhythmic sense. When Boulez arrived at the Philharmonic and recorded Le sacre in 1974, it was like going from a primitive riot to the doctor's office.
This CD in updated sound is the second reading from 1972, now in two channels, the 1958 being out of print--you can track down a Royal Edition copy on the used market usually. The Israel Phil. version made for DG in the Eighties--I don't have the exact date since I threw away the CD--is a parody of the young Bernstein by the old one, and the orchestra is far from being able to master the score.
P.S. 2010 - The Amazon reviewer, in an attempt to sound knowing, says that conductors still get lost in Le sacre, including big name conductors. Could she name some? Modern orchestras of the first and second rank can play the score almost without conductor, and recently Gustavo Dudamel released a riveting recording with his Simon Bolivar Youth Orch.(DG).
The first recording occasioned a "wow" from Stravinsky in one of his memoirs (no doubt in part being ironic). The second recordingt is just as splashy and extroverted, although I prefer 1958 as the more flexible and less blatantly aimed at audiophiles. Both are wonderful and show off Bernstein's exuberance at its best, along with his incredible rhythmic sense. When Boulez arrived at the Philharmonic and recorded Le sacre in 1974, it was like going from a primitive riot to the doctor's office.
This CD in updated sound is the second reading from 1972, now in two channels, the 1958 being out of print--you can track down a Royal Edition copy on the used market usually. The Israel Phil. version made for DG in the Eighties--I don't have the exact date since I threw away the CD--is a parody of the young Bernstein by the old one, and the orchestra is far from being able to master the score.
P.S. 2010 - The Amazon reviewer, in an attempt to sound knowing, says that conductors still get lost in Le sacre, including big name conductors. Could she name some? Modern orchestras of the first and second rank can play the score almost without conductor, and recently Gustavo Dudamel released a riveting recording with his Simon Bolivar Youth Orch.(DG).
Most Recent Customer Reviews
4.0 out of 5 stars
A taste not easily mastered, but a great remaster.
I have always been on the fence, when it comes to, The Rite Of Spring. Though, it cannot be denied, the quality and perfection of Stravinsky's masterpiece. Read more
Published 24 days ago by chuck deccio
3.0 out of 5 stars
Great Firebird Suite, lousy Rite
Bernstein's 1958 recording of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is probably the greatest performance the work will ever receive on disc. Read more
Published 3 months ago by Nom de clavier
5.0 out of 5 stars
great music--probably not to everyone's taste
music is strident, and surging, like spring. very loud, discordant, and atonal.
i have loved it for years. glad i finally own it.
i have loved it for years. glad i finally own it.
Published 8 months ago by Susan L. Caton
4.0 out of 5 stars
Great Recording
Thoroughly enjoyed this CD. I would recommend it to anyone who appreciates classical music. Recordings with Leonard Berstein are always a good investment.
Published 20 months ago by Kristin Hackl
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stravinsky
This is the best performance of the rite of spring I ever heard. Quality is also superb. I recommend to buy this album. You will enjoy greatly.
Published 22 months ago by tubealika
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great Verision
The version of these classic tunes contained in this CD is fantastic. I work with two musicians who think so too.
Published on May 23, 2011 by Eric Dalessandro
4.0 out of 5 stars
Bernstein's Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring
This is an exciting recording conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein manages an incredible amount of energy from the orchestra. Read more
Published on November 30, 2010 by Music Dimension
5.0 out of 5 stars
Stravinsky: The Rite Of Spring
i am a stravinsky lover: this recording of the rite of spring is the most astonishing:
the recording itself is amazing and the performance by leonard berstein is in my humble... Read more
the recording itself is amazing and the performance by leonard berstein is in my humble... Read more
Published on February 14, 2010 by Luis Frey Menendez
4.0 out of 5 stars
stravinky
I just recently started listening to stravinsky and from the first notes i melted. It spoke to me on a deep level that almost made me cry I would recommend this to everyone.
Published on December 3, 2009 by Pattie
5.0 out of 5 stars
My first classical album
Up until now, I had never owned a classical album, or ever been interested in one. But a few days before I got this amazing album, I noticed that the "Finale" of "The Firebird... Read more
Published on February 4, 2009 by L. Powell
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