Stravinsky: L'Oiseau De Feu Ballet; Symphonies of Wind Instruments

On this CD:

1. L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), ballet in 2 scenes for orchestra
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Franz Welser-Most

2. Symphonies of Wind Instruments, for 23 wind instruments (1947 version)
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Franz Welser-Most

3. Dance Suite, for orchestra (Táncszvit), Sz. 77, BB 86a
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by London Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Franz Welser-Most

Tracks:

Piano-Rag-Music
Tango
Circus Polka
Valse Pour Les Enfants
Sonate: I.
Sonate: II. Adagietto
Sonate: III.
Rag Time
Quatre Etudes, Op.7: Con Moto
Quatre Etudes, Op.7: Allegro Brilliante
Quatre Etudes, Op.7: Andantino
Quatre Etudes, Op.7: Vivo
Scherzo
Son in f #: Allegro
Son in f #: Vivo
Son in f #: Andante
Son in f #: Allegro

Tracks:

Chant Du Rossignol: La Fete Au Palais De L'empereur De Chine
Chant Du Rossignol: Les Deux Rossignols
Chant Du Rossignol: Maladie Et Guerison De l'empereur De Chine
Ser En La: Hymne
Ser En La: Romanza
Ser En La: Rondoletto
Ser En La: Cadenza Finale
L'oiseau De Feu: Danse Infernal Deu Roi Kastchei
L'oiseau De Feu: Berceuse
L'oiseau De Feu: Finale
Syms D'instruments A Vent
Trois Movts: Danse Russe
Trois Movts: Chez Petrouchaka
Trois Movts: La Semaine Grasse

Stravinsky: Ballets; Stage Works; Orchestral Works

Average customer rating:

Hours and hours of fun!
Prodigious performances!
Ansermet & Stravinsky - A Perfect Pair

Stravinsky: Ballets; Stage Works; Orchestral Works

Manufacturer: Decca
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music

Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

Modern & 20th Century | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Sacred & Religious | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music

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Similar Items:

Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works
Strauss: Orchestral Works
Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet
Liszt: Works for Piano and Orchestra
Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra

ASIN: B00005ND3M
Release Date: 2002-05-14

Tracks:

The Firebird: Intro
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Kashchei's Magic Garden
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Appearance Of The Firebird Pursued By Prince Ivan
The Firebird: Tableau 1: The Firebird's Dance
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Prince Ivan Captures The Firebird
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Supplications Of The Firebird/Appearance Of The Thirteen Enchanted...
The Firebird: Tableau 1: The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Sudden Appearance Of Prince Ivan
The Firebird: Tableau 1: The Princesses' Round-Dance
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Daybreak
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Magic Carillon/Appearance Of Kashchei's Guardian Monsters/Capture Of...
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Dance Of Kashcheis Retinue Under The Firebird's Spell
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Infernal Dance Of All Kashchei's Subjects
The Firebird: Tableau 1: Lullaby (The Firebird)/Kashchei Awakes/Death Of Kashchei/Darkness
The Firebird: Tableau 2: Dissolution Of The Palace And Kashchei's Spells/Animation Of The...
The Song Of The Nightingale: Feast In The Emperor's Palace
The Song Of The Nightingale: The Two Nightingales
The Song Of The Nightingale: Illness And Recovery Of The Emperor Of China

Tracks:

Petrouchka: Tableau 1: The Shrovetide Fair
Petrouchka: Tableau 2: In Petrushka's Room
Petrouchka: Tableau 3: In The Moor's Room
Petrouchka: Tableau 4: The Shrovetide Fair, Evening
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Intro
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Augurs Of Spring/Dances Of The Young Girls
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of Abduction
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Spring Rounds
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of The Rival Tribes
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Procession Of The Sage
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: The Sage
The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Dance Of The Earth
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Intro
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Glorification Of The Chosen One
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Evocation Of The Ancestors
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The Chosen One

Tracks:

Pulcinella: Ov: Allegro Moderato
Pulcinella: Serenata: Larghetto 'Mentre L'Erbetta' - Carlo Franzini
Pulcinella: Scherzino: Allegro
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Andantino
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Ancora Poco Meno 'Contento Forse Vivere' - Marilyn Tyler
Pulcinella: Allegro Assai
Pulcinella: Allegro - Alla Breve 'Con Queste Paroline' - Boris Carmeli
Pulcinella: Largo 'Sento Dire No'nce Pace' - Marilyn Tyler/Carlo Franzini/Boris Carmeli
Pulcinella: Allegro - Alla Breve
Pulcinella: Tarantella
Pulcinella: Andantino 'Se Tu M'Ami' - Marilyn Tyler
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Gavotta Con Due Vars
Pulcinella: Tempo Di Minuetto 'Pupilette, Fiammette D'Amore' - Marilyn Tyler/Carlo Franzini/Boris Carmeli
Pulcinella: Allegro Assai
Apollo: Prologue: Naissance D'Apollon
Apollo: Var D'Apollon: Apollon Et Les Muses
Apollo: Pas D'Action
Apollo: Var De Calliope
Apollo: Var De Polymnie
Apollo: Var De Terpsichore
Apollo: Var D'Apollon
Apollo: Pas De Deux
Apollo: Coda: Apollon Et Les Muses
Apollo: Apotheose

Tracks:

The Fairy's Kiss: Scene 1: Prologue
The Fairy's Kiss: Scene 2: A Village Fete
The Fairy's Kiss: Scene 3: By The Mill
The Fairy's Kiss: Scene 4. Epilogue: Lullaby Of The Land Beyond Time And Place
Renard (A Burlesque Story To Be Sung And Played) - Gerald English/John Mitchinson/Peter Glossop/Joseph Rouleau/John Leach

Tracks:

The Soldier's Tale: Marche Du Soldat - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Musique Pour Scene 1 - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Musique Pour Scene 2 - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Marche Royale - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Petit Conc - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Tango - Waltz - Ragtime - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Danse Du Diable - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Chorale - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
The Soldier's Tale: Marche Triomphale Du Diable - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
Pulcinella: Sinf
Pulcinella: Serenata
Pulcinella: Scherzino
Pulcinella: Allegro
Pulcinella: Andantino
Pulcinella: Tarantella
Pulcinella: Toccata
Pulcinella: Gavotta Con Due Vars
Pulcinella: Vivo
Pulcinella: Minuetto
Pulcinella: Finale

Tracks:

Sym in C: I. Moderato Alla Breve
Sym in C: II. Larghetto Conc
Sym in C: III. Allegretto
Sym in C: IV: Largo - Tempo Giusto Alla Breve
Sym in Three Movts: I. 1/2nt = 160
Sym in Three Movts: II. Andante
Sym in Three Movts: III. Con Moto
Syms Of Wind Instruments

Tracks:

Con: Largo - Allegro - Nikita Magaloff
Con: Largo - Nikita Magaloff
Con: Allegro - Nikita Magaloff
Capriccio: Presto - Nikita Magaloff
Capriccio: Andante Rapsodico - Nikita Magaloff
Capriccio: Allegro Capriccioso Ma Tempo Giusto - Nikita Magaloff
Ste No.1: Andante
Ste No.1: Napolitana - L'Orch De La Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet L
Ste No.1: Espanola
Ste No.1: Balalaika
Ste No.2: Marche
Ste No.2: Valse
Ste No.2: Polka
Ste No.2: Galop
4 Etudes: Danse
4 Etudes: Excentrique
4 Etudes: Cantique
4 Etudes: Madrid
Scherzo A La Russe

Tracks:

Sym Of Psalms: I. Psaume XXXIX - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
Sym Of Psalms: II. Psaume XL - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
Sym Of Psalms: III. Psaume CL - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
The Wedding: Tableau 1: At The Bride's - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
The Wedding: Tableau 2: At The Bridegroom's - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
The Wedding: Tableau 3: The Bride's Departure - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
The Wedding: Tableau 4: The Wedding Feast - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
Mavra: Ov
Mavra: Air - Joan Carlyle
Mavra: Gypsy Song - Kenneth Macdonald/Joan Carlyle
Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Joan Carlyle
Mavra: Air - Helen Watts
Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
Mavra: Duet - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair/Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
Mavra: Qt - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair/Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
Mavra: Duet - Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
Mavra: Dialogue - Kenneth Macdonald/Joan Carlyle/Helen Watts
Mavra: Air - Kenneth Macdonald
Mavra: Coda - Kenneth Macdonald/Joan Carlyle/Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair

Customer Reviews:

Hours and hours of fun!.......2007-01-24

Renard alone makes this set worthwhile. No other recorded performance (including Stravinsky's own) brings out the humor and basic "enjoyability" of this piece.

Prodigious performances!.......2006-10-17

Ernest Ansermet' s refined style was always supported by an admirable incisiveness around all what he conducted. And his Stravinsky still stands as one of the most perfect, idiomatic and extraordinary readings ever made; hovered with that deep vision and knower of the Stravinsky' s aesthetic; Ansermet always to blend power, febrile imagination and musculature, among his best achievements I should remark his Fairy' s kiss, The game of cards, Petrouchka, and the thundering Le Sacre are played with the right balance between abstraction and finesse; expression and sumptuous lyricism.

So you should not hesitate just for a second at the moment to decide to go for this special compilation.

Absolutely recommended.

Ansermet & Stravinsky - A Perfect Pair.......2003-05-19

This 8 CD collection of Stravinsky's Ballets, Stage Works and Orchestral Works is nothing short of magical. Conducted in its entirety by Ernest Ansermet leading the orchestra he founded, L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, this box set, while not complete, features all the great Stravinsky compositions -- "Firebird," "Rite of Spring," "Petrouchka," "Pulcinella," and all the Symphonies among others. Unlike most of history's great composers, Stravinsky himself was able to conduct and record his own music in stereo, so why not just get those discs? Well you should, but the Ansermet recordings generally offer superior sound and clarity. In fact, Ansermet was Stravinsky's personal choice to conduct the world premieres of many of his recordings, and Ansermet was selected by the composer to introduce the three famous ballets to U.S. audiences. A mathematician prior to his life as a conductor, Ansermet had his critics as he was virtually self-taught, though he did study music as a youth. But that mathematics background served him well in the studio as his early stereo recordings of everything from Tchaikovsky and Prokofiev to Falla and Chausson are engineered to perfection, and often sound better than the recordings by so-called more famous conductors. But don't take my word for it, buy some Ansermet for yourself and see. If you are not prepared to get this Stravinsky Box right away, then ease in with the new Ernest Ansermet "Great Conductors of the Century" compilation (see my review). You won't be disappointed.

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments/The Firebird (Original Versions)

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky with delicacy but no spine
Outstanding performance and recording, but low volume.
One Of The Very Best Firebirds'
The Sound On This CD Annoys Me

Stravinsky: Symphonies of Wind Instruments/The Firebird (Original Versions)

Manufacturer: Virgin Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00004YU7X
Release Date: 2001-05-08

Tracks:

Syms Of Wind Instrs
The Firebird: Intro
The Firebird: Tableau I: Kashchei's Enchanted Garden
The Firebird: Tableau I: Appearance Of The Firebird Pursued By Ivan Tsarevich
The Firebird: Tableau I: Dance Of The Firebird
The Firebird: Tableau I: Ivan Tsarevich Captures The Firebird
The Firebird: Tableau I: Supplications Of The Firebird
The Firebird: Tableau I: Appearance Of The Thirteen Enchanted Princesses
The Firebird: Tableau I: The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples (Scherzo)
The Firebird: Tableau I: Sudden Appearance Of Ivan Tsarevich
The Firebird: Tableau I: The Princesses' Khorovod (Round Dance)
The Firebird: Tableau I: Daybreak
The Firebird: Tableau I: Prince Ivan Enters Kashchei's Palace
The Firebird: Tableau I: Magic Carillon, Appearance Of Kashchei's Guardian Monsters And Capture...
The Firebird: Tableau I: Arrival Of Kashchei The Immortal
The Firebird: Tableau I: KashChei's Dialogue With Ivan Tsarevich
The Firebird: Tableau I: Intercession Of The Princesses
The Firebird: Tableau I: Appearance Of The Firebird
The Firebird: Tableau I: Dance Of Kashchei's Retinue Under The Firebird's Spell
The Firebird: Tableau I: Infernal Dance Of All Kashchei's Subjects
The Firebird: Tableau I: Lullaby (The Firebird)
The Firebird: Tableau I: Kashchei's Awakening
The Firebird: Tableau I: The Death Of Kashchei
The Firebird: Tableau I: Complete Darkness
The Firebird: Tableau II: Disappearance Of The Palace And Dissolution Of Kashchei's Enchantments...

Customer Reviews:

Stravinsky with delicacy but no spine.......2006-06-03

I have to admire Nagano for attempting a Firebird that is more delicate and mysterious-sounding than any other I've ever encountered. All sharp angles have been softened, and a soft, hazy air hangs over everything (the very opposite of the dry, detached style the composer himself preferred). It's easy to appreciate all the atmospherics, but ultimately the Firebird needs to be more dramatic and explosive when the time comes. Pretty twittering isn't enough, and Nagano's occasionally slack rhythms don't cut it.

The LSO plays so beautifully and the sonics are so crystal-clear that one can forget Nagaon's lapses--anyone who wants to hear Stravinsky dressed up as Debussy will be thrilled. The filler is a clean, clear and yet fatally limp reading of the Symphonies of Wind Instruments.

Outstanding performance and recording, but low volume........2004-07-16

When I first bought and listened to this CD I was disappointed. The recorded sound was so low-volume and nearly inaudible in really soft, delicate passages that it really colored my estimation of the performance and interpretation.

Recently I gave Nagano's Firebird a second hearing, since I usually like his way with music like this. This time I threw caution to the wind and cranked up the volume, risking alienating my neighbors. But what a change! A gorgeous transparent highly detailed sound and masterful interpretation emerged.

I think I've heard at least six dozen performances (well maybe not, but many) of this ballet over a number of years, live, on radio, television, LP and now CD. It's simply magical music. Among my favorite interpreters is Stravinsky himself, straightforward, matter-of-fact but magnificent since the music speaks for itself. French conductors such as Pierre Monteux and Ernest Ansermet (who both premiered many of Stravinsky's works) have done very well with this music too. And there are many others that range from good to great. Nagano comes very close to this latter level and at times sets a standard of interpretation all his own, as though he'd not only carefully studied the score and historical context, but also interpretations of many of its greatest conductors. He finds his own way very convincingly.

This performance could rightly be called transparent in that it finds the right balance and integration of detail and nuance with energetic drive and romantic glow right when they're called for. It's a very discerning point of view and very respectful of the composer's intentions.

The volume problem is a drawback however. Many other recordings will sound more "dramatic" just because they're cut to a higher sound level. But if you give Nagano's Firebird enough volume, I think you may be very impressed and delighted.

Very high recommendation to all Stravinsky and Firebird lovers.

One Of The Very Best Firebirds'.......2003-09-13

I don't know the credentials of the two "geniuses" who wrote the previous reviews, but the following is a quote from Gramophone magazine and pretty much sums up my opinion of this outstanding Virgin recording. From Gramophone..."The reissue of Kent Nagano's vividly detailed new LSO recording of the original Stravinsky Firebird score is a different matter, and must go right to the top of the recommended list. From the very opening the clearly delineated kaleidoscope of orchestral colour reminds one of Dorati's famous Mercury recording (11/91), but the new Virgin sound balance produced by Andrew Keener is even finer, slightly softer grained, richer, but with hardly less impact. At the opening, the playing generates a slightly less tension than with Dorati, but the concentration steadily increases, the orchestral colour glows radiantly, and the big set pieces - the spectacular `Danse infernale' of Kashchei, the lovely `Princesses' Round Dance' and the `Berceuse' - are all superbly played. The final climax expands gloriously. Nagano also uses the original 1920 score of the Symphonies of wind instruments and the result is ear-tickling in the best sense, with sonorities juxtaposed most skilfully, textures keenly balanced, and a well-maintained onward flow."

The Sound On This CD Annoys Me.......2003-06-06

I don't know why I even purchased this CD with Stravinsky's Symphonies Of Wind Instruments/The Firebird(Complete Ballet) with the London Symphony Orchestra with Kent Nagano. The sound engineers must have fell asleep throughout the whole performance of The Firebird. I am not happy with these performances! Unless you like totally bad sound quality, never come across this album.
I'm not kidding, this CD is no full-length one.

Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet, Original Version 1910) / Symphonies of Wind Instruments - Kent Nagano

Average customer rating:

Favorite Firebird

Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Ballet, Original Version 1910) / Symphonies of Wind Instruments - Kent Nagano
Igor Stravinsky (Composer) , Kent Nagano (Conductor) , and London Symphony Orchestra
Manufacturer: Virgin Records Us
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music

Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music
ASIN: B00000DNF6
Release Date: 1994-08-16

Customer Reviews:

Favorite Firebird.......2003-12-02

I'm afraid I don't have the technical depth in classical music to esplain why, but this is my favorite recording of the Firebird. I have listened to a lot of classical music, but have no training, so while I don't know why I like one thing better than another, I know what I like.

Tracks:

The Firebird, Intro
The Firebird, Scene I: Kashchei's enchanted garden
The Firebird, Scene I: The Firebird appears, persued by Ivan Tsarevitch
The Firebird, Scene I: Dance of the Firebird
The Firebird, Scene I: Ivan Tsarevitch captures the Firebird
The Firebird, Scene I: The Firebird's entreaty
The Firebird, Scene I: The appearance of the 13 enchanted princesses
The Firebird, Scene I: The princesses game with apples of gold
The Firebird, Scene I: The sudden appearance of Ivan Tsarevitch
The Firebird, Scene I: The princesses' round
The Firebird, Scene I: Dawn
The Firebird, Scene I: Ivan Tsarevitch enters Kashchei's palace
The Firebird, Scene I: The sound of enchanted bells; monsters appear, Kaschei's guards, & take...
The Firebird, Scene I: The arrival of Kashchei the Immortal
The Firebird, Scene I: Kashchei's dialogue with Ivan Tsarevitch
The Firebird, Scene I: The princesses' intercede
The Firebird, Scene I: The appearance of the Firebird
The Firebird, Scene I: Kashchei's followers dance under the Firebird's spell
The Firebird, Scene I: Infernal Dance of Kashchei's subjects
The Firebird, Scene I: Lullaby (The Firebird)
The Firebird, Scene I: Kashchei awakes
The Firebird, Scene I: Death of Kashchei
The Firebird, Scene I: Profound darkness
The Firebird, Scene II: Kashchei's spells are broken; his palace disappears, the stone knights...
Sym. of Wind Insts
Dance Ste (Sz 77): I. Moderato
Dance Ste (Sz 77): II. Allegro molto
Dance Ste (Sz 77): III. Allegro vivace
Dance Ste (Sz 77): IV. Molto tranquillo
Dance Ste (Sz 77): V. Comodo-
Dance Ste (Sz 77): Finale. Allegro

Customer Reviews:

A born Stravinsky conductor--Britain's loss is America's gain.......2005-12-31

Now that he is firmly ensconced in Cleveland and making music on a par with Levine in Boston, one can appreciate Welser-Most's great gifts. They certainly weren't apparent to British critics, who sniffed at him during his brief tenure with the London Phil. a decade ago--no doubt the competition for Simon Rattle was too much. EMI had faith in the young Austrain, however, and allowed him to make many recordings over a short period.

This very generous (72 min.) bargain CD gives us three works: Stravinsky's complete Firebird and Symphonies of Wind Instruments, and Bartok's Dance Suite. His exciting recording of Oedipus Rex showed Welser-Most to be a very accomplished Stravinsky conductor, and this Firebird is marvelously natural and engaging. I'm not sure that the complete score sustains interest without seeing the dancers--there are a lot of quiet, unremarkable moments--but this account is recorded very well and played to the hilt. W-M has an innate gift for phrasisng that shows up everywhere. As a bargain issue his Firebird is obviously a first choice.

The Symphonies of Wind Instruments is given an outspoken, assured reading, far removed from the composer's own clinical approach. Simon Rattle's account is also strong, but I think W-M is more vital and less stiff. The rhythms jump, the textures sting.

Bartok's Dance Suite is a very approachable pastiche of elements from Bulgarian, Romanian, Hungarian, and Arabic dance (the composer had paid a visit to North Africa), and W-M gives an alert, vigorous, extroverted reading. It's much more natural and warm than Boulez's on DG with the Chicago Sym., although a thousand listeners probably know that recording for every one who knows this one.

I risk becoming a one-man cheering section for Welser-Most, but Cleveland knew a gem when they saw one, and with luck his reputation will spread. Certainly this wonderful colleciton deserves to be widely heard and appreciated.

Music Track:

Music Track

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