Igor Stravinsky: Le Rossignol (The Nightingale) - Pierre Boulez

1. Le Rossignol, opera (lyric tale) in 3 acts
   Composed by Igor Stravinsky
   Performed by BBC Symphony Orchestra
   with Brindley Sherratt, Gareth Roberts, Ian Caley, John Tomlinson, Bela Dekany, Ian Kennedy, Michael George, Felicity Palmer, Neil Howlett, Elizabeth Laurence
   Conducted by Pierre Boulez
   
   

Igor Stravinsky: Le Rossignol (The Nightingale) - Pierre Boulez,Igor Stravinsky,Pierre Boulez,Ian Caley,Bela Dekany,Michael George,Neil Howlett,Ian Kennedy,Elizabeth Laurence,BBC Singers,BBC Symphony Orchestra,Elektra / Wea,Classical,Classical Music,Opera,Russian 20th/21st Century Opera

---

Average customer rating: The Finest Single Recording of these Disparate Stravinsky Works Magnifique A Distinguished Boulez CD Of Stravinsky's Lesser Great Works Boulez conducts Stravinsky

Le Chant du Rossignol/L'Histoire du Soldat Igor Stravinsky , Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus , and Pierre Boulez Manufacturer: Deutsche Grammophon ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Septets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Cleveland Orchestra | ( C ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Cantatas | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Cantatas | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Deutsche Grammophon: Music | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms; Symphony in Three Movements Stravinsky: The Firebird/Fantaisie for Orchestra Op.4/Four Studies Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale, Dumbarton Oaks Concerto / Ward, Keeble, Soames, et al Shadow Dances: Stravinsky Miniatures Schoenberg - Pierrot lunaire ~ Herzgewächse ~ Ode to Napoleon / Schäfer, Pittman-Jennings, Ensemble InterContempolain, Boulez ASIN: B00005M9HW Release Date: 2001-09-18

Tracks:

1. Scherzo Fantastique, Op.3: Con Moto - Moderato Assai - Piu Mosso - Tempo I
2. Le Roi Des Etoiles (Star-Face): Lico Yego Bilo Kak Solnce
3. Le Chant Du Rossignol (The Song Of The Nightingale), Sym Poem: Presto - Andantino - Tempo I
4. Le Chant Du Rossignol (The Song Of The Nightingale), Sym Poem: Marche Chinoise. 1/4nt=72 - Poco...
5. Le Chant Du Rossignol (The Song Of The Nightingale), Sym Poem: Chant Du Rossigno. Cadenza - Adagio..
6. Le Chant Du Rossignol (The Song Of The Nightingale), Sym Poem: Jeu Du Rossignol Mecanique...
7. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Marche Du Soldat
8. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Petits Airs Au Bord Du Ruisseau
9. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Pastorale
10. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Marche Royale
11. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Petit Conc
12. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Trois Danses (Tango - Valse - Ragtime)
13. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Danse Du Diable
14. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Grand Chor
15. L'Histoire Du Soldat (The Soldier's Tale), Conc Ste: Marche Triomphale Du Diable

Customer Reviews:

The Finest Single Recording of these Disparate Stravinsky Works.......2005-08-13

Pierre Boulez recorded this CD with the Cleveland Orchestra in 2001 and it remains unchallenged as the most definitive of these four unique and decidedly different works from Stravinsky's output. Boulez has formed a new approach to Stravinsky, one that emphasizes immaculate clarity while finding the emotional depth and satiric edge other conductors fail to realize.

Opening with 'Scherzo fantastique' sets a fine pace for the concert: the orchestra shimmers under Boulez' baton, bringing more substance to the work than is usually the case. 'King of the Stars (Zvezdoliki), cantata for male chorus & orchestra' finds the sonorous post-romantic glow that Stravinsky knew well before he set about to alter musical history. 'Chant du rossignol (The Song of the Nightingale), symphonic poem' is gratefully finding more performances these days (one of great stature was the recent performance by Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Los Angeles Philharmonic - very much in a like idiom as this Boulez reading) and the reasons are clear: when the symphonic condensation for the opera is played with the drama in mind the results are thrilling as a sonic spectacular.

'L'histoire du soldat (The Soldier's Tale), concert suite for 7 instruments' completes this CD in a performance as lively and acerbic as any on record. The members of the Cleveland Orchestra play like a well-formed chamber ensemble and Boulez knows just how to pace this little drama. In all this is Stravinsky as good as it gets. Highly recommended. Grady Harp, August 05

Magnifique.......2002-04-17

Strawinsky is music's counterpart to Picasso in more than one respect. Both men were able to express themselves in a variety of styles by appropriating (stealing)/ integrating/ optimizing novel ideas with results that still carried their personal signatures. This variety of styles has caused more than a bit of confusion among many performers. Even among the ones who are considered specialists. Yet, Igor gave all future performers one important hint with his often despised dogma: "music does not express anything but itself."

Pierre Boulez is not only among the most important composers of the last 50+ years, but has also acquired a body of work as a conductor, that has resulted in an equal level of veneration.

Boulez' vision as a director seems to be the embodiment of Strawinsky's dogma. His striving for precision and balance and shunning of any gesture that is not indicated in the score has resulted in the epitaph "the iceman". I think this name calling is completely ridiculous. On the one hand people like Boulez continue to prove Oscar Wilde's lemma: tradition is nothing but a collection of bad habits. On the other, Boulez' approach is individual enough that it is always easy to guess it's him when listening "blindly" to a performance on the radio.

This cd contains some works that are lesser known- I disagree with the previous' reviewer distinction "lesser"- than le Sacre, L'oiseau de Feu, or Petrouchka. Yet to me they're not that unfamiliar. By the way Igor's IMHO best work, Apollon Musagète, isn't that familiar either to the audience at large.

This cd contains works from different phases of Strawinsky's career.

First the Scherzo fantastique opus 3 from 1907. This work is a true delight. It could be described as "hip Rimsky-Korsakov" (Igor's main teacher). Yet, so many of the elements that Strawinsky would explore so successfully later on are already here.

Next comes le Roi des etoiles from 1911. The work for male choir and orchestra centers on the risen Christ. It's a great blend between the old and new andsets the stage for Messiaen et al.

Due to financial problems Igor decided "to take his show on the road for a while" with concise versions of and orchestral compilations from some of his operas. The third work on the cd is orchestral digest of "the Nightingale" opera from 1918. One of this cd's many virtues is how well Boulez' approach allows the listener to follow the evolution of Strawinsky's style in just a decade. Both the works structure and orchestration are a long way from Rimsky.

The concert suite from L' Histoire du Soldat, also from 1918, conclude this disc. Another delight.

I am a great fan of Boulez and see this cd as another proof of him being the most prominent conductor of these and similarly "modern" works. His approach leads to color and clarity, perfect proportion, and precision in rhythm without any inkling of the mechanical. The Cleveland Orchestra joins him in performances that are simply perfect.

Finally, something about the recording. I know the level of the equipment that I'm fortunate enough to be able to use for playback. Remarks, like the ones by the previous reviewer, make me wonder what is failing him; his equipment, his ears or both. This recording is a marvel of timbral accuracy, clarity, deep and wide soundstage and sense of dynamics. On a scale of 1-10 I would rate it at the 9 level.

A wonderful disk. Merci, Pierre!

A Distinguished Boulez CD Of Stravinsky's Lesser Great Works.......2002-03-30

I am surprised Deutsche Grammophon delayed releasing this fine CD for so long. Without a doubt, Boulez's interpretations of these Stravinsky works are among the best available, and may be his finest with the Cleveland Orchestra to date. I was especially impressed with his brisk, vivid interpretation of "Le Chant du Rossignol"; Stravinsky's tone poem version of his opera. Yet the other performances are equally fine, ending with a splendid chamber instrument version of "L'Histoire du Soldat". Although the sound quality isn't Deutsche Grammophon's very best, it still sounds quite warm, lush and brilliant.

Boulez conducts Stravinsky.......2001-10-30

An amazing CD that consists of 4 great pieces of Stravinsky's music. L'Histoire du Soldat Suite (The Solder's Tale) is my favourite from the album. The sound is clear, lush and full and the Cleveland Orchestra is one of the best in the world. Additionally, Pierre Boulez is a highly accurate conductor especially when it comes to new music and the great innovative composers of the 20th century like Stravinsky, Webern, Bartok and Varese. These composers are his specialities. This lethal combination equals a album nothing short of excellent. A must have for any Igor Stravinsky fan.

Average customer rating: Even my kid likes this! Bassoon Me! Brilliant Bassoonastics OUTSTANDING QUARTET Simply fantastic!

Bassoonatics! Manufacturer: Musica Viva ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Gigue | Baroque Dance Suites | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Tangos | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Duets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Brahms | Brahms, Johannes | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Gershwin | Gershwin, George | ( G ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart | Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus | ( M ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Piazzolla, Astor | ( P ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Sibelius | Sibelius, Jean | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Weill | Weill, Kurt | ( W ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Sonatinas | Sonatas | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Incidental Music | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Vocal & Song | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Chamber Music | Forms & Genres | Romantic (c.1820-1910) | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Compilations | Classical | Styles | Music General | Jazz | Styles | Music Vocal Jazz General | Vocal Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Classic Big Band | Swing Jazz | Jazz | Styles | Music Marches | Miscellaneous | Styles | Music Similar Items: Captured! The Bassoon Brothers Mozart, Weber, Hummel: Bassoon Concertos Wanted-The Bassoon Brothers Vivaldi: Bassoon Concertos Williams: The Five Sacred Trees (Bassoon Concerto) / Takemitsu: Tree Line / Hovhaness: Symphony No. s, Op. 132 "Mysterious Mountain" / Picker: Old and Lost Rivers ASIN: B0000067V1 Release Date: 1998-02-17

Tracks:

1. Three Preludes: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso
2. Three Preludes: Andante Con Moto E Poco Rubato
3. Three Preludes: Allegro Ben Ritmato E Deciso
4. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: I (Tempo Giusto)
5. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: II
6. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: III
7. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: IV
8. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: V
9. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: VI (Vivace)
10. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: VII
11. Eight Waltzes, Op. 39: VIII
12. Little Suite From The Tempest, Op.109: I - Prospero
13. Little Suite From The Tempest, Op.109: II - Ariel
14. Little Suite From The Tempest, Op.109: III - Miranda
15. Little Suite From The Tempest, Op.109: IV - Caliban's Song
16. Three Postcards: L'ange Verrier
17. Three Postcards: Faunesse Dansante
18. Three Postcards: Les Noces Du Duc De Joyeuse
19. Madrigal
20. Sonatine No. 1, Op. 67: I - Allegro
21. Sonatine No. 1, Op. 67: II - Largo
22. Sonatine No. 1, Op. 67: III - Allegro Moderato
23. Gigue, K574
24. Bassoonists' Holiday
25. I Got Rhythm
26. I'm In The Mood For Love
27. Caravan
28. Oh! Darling
29. Tango (1940)
30. Tango (1995)
31. Youkali
32. Tango (1984)
33. Azure

Customer Reviews:

Even my kid likes this!.......2005-11-07

This is an amazing collection of songs, all performed with such skill that even my 8-year-old son likes this CD. Brahms and Beatles, Mozart and Ellington, there is something here for everyone. And thank you, thank you, thank you for "Bassoonist's Holiday."

Bassoon Me!.......2004-08-09

I delight in the bassoon! What a unique and great sound, throaty and thrillingly coarse, yet soaring to sound at times like sax, like oboe, like cello, like a bunch of bassoonatics!

This is delightful collection of musical styles played by this innovative and talented quartet. Choosing to select pieces that are not typically of the bassoon repertoire, we go from Waltz to Gershwin to Broadway to Motzart to Lennon/McCartnye to Sibelius to most of us unknowns such as Mitchell Clarke to Duke Ellington.

All played with passion and gusto and excellent tonality, phrasing and tempo.

Bassoon Me again!

Brilliant Bassoonastics.......2003-09-27

This would have to be the best bassoon ensemble cd on the market. The arrangements are stylish and clever, and the performances brilliant! Fraser Jackson must be the most accomplished contrabassoonist I have ever head. This cd is a must for any bassoonists collection be you amateur or proffessional.

OUTSTANDING QUARTET.......2002-04-14

This disc is really superb!!! Not only is the playing at an extremely high level by the group, the arrangements are also outstanding. The Brahms is abolutely beautiful. The group goes from lightning fingers bravura to sweet soulful singing. It is a joy to listen to again and again.

Simply fantastic!.......2001-10-26

I simply love the Caliban Quartet! They breath new life into bassoons! The way they bring out the music is simply magical. Not only do they sound good, their technical abilities are simply amazing!

Average customer rating: One of the Most Incredible Firebirds Ever! very good, but it has nothing on the NYP-Boulez recordings of this repertoire Excellent and Refined Impressive but cool

Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite/Nightingale/Rite of Spring Manufacturer: Reference Recordings ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music Minnesota Orchestra | ( M ) | Featured Performers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Similar Items: Pictures at an Exhibition Bolero: Orchestral Fireworks Rachmaninoff: Symphonic Dances/ Vocalise/ Etudes-tableaux Mephisto & Co. Das Lied von der Erde ASIN: B0000015A6 Release Date: 1996-04-30

Tracks:

1. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Introduction
2. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: The Firebird And Her Dance
3. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Variation Of The Firebird
4. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Round Dance Of The Princesses
5. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Infernal Dance Of King Kashchei
6. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Berceuse
7. The Firebird Suite, 1919 Revision: Finale
8. The Song Of The Nightingale: Presto
9. The Song Of The Nightingale: Chinese March
10. The Song Of The Nightingale: Song Of The Nightingale
11. The Song Of The Nightingale: Game Of The Mechanical Nightingale
12. The Rite Of Spring: Introduction - Adoration Of The Earth
13. The Rite Of Spring: Auguries of Spring - Dance Of The Adolescents- Adoration Of The Earth
14. The Rite Of Spring: Game Of Abduction - Adoration Of The Earth
15. The Rite Of Spring: Spring Rounds - Adoration Of The Earth
16. The Rite Of Spring: Games Of The Rival Towns - Adoration Of The Earth
17. The Rite Of Spring: Procession Of The Sage - Adoration Of The Earth
18. The Rite of: Adoration Of The Earth (The Sage) - Adoration Of The Earth
19. The Rite Of Spring: Dance Of The Earth - Adoration Of The Earth
20. The Rite Of Spring: Introduction - The Sacrifice
21. The Rite Of Spring: Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls - The Sacrifice
22. The Rite Of Spring: Glorification Of The Chosen One - The Sacrifice
23. The Rite Of Spring: Evocation Of The Ancestors - The Sacrifice
24. The Rite Of Spring: Ritual Action Of The Ancestors - The Sacrifice
25. The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One) - The Sacrifice

Customer Reviews:

One of the Most Incredible Firebirds Ever!.......2006-11-16

Eiji Oue and his Minnesota Orchestra have produced a Firebird performance that takes one's breath away!

Most of the music is slow and quiet up till the finale. Then the orchestra builds to a collossal explosion of brass power that makes STAR WARS sound puny, and that's not easy! It's one of the most impressive moments in classical music history, and it shocks people that an orchestra can actually sound this good. My friends are always asking to borrow this disc from me, and the finale astounds them with its power and its clarity. They return the disc with awed looks, and seem truly impressed. Why can't all music be as brilliant or original as this? What is WRONG with composers these days?

The Rite of Spring is also truly impressive, although my favorite piece on the disc is the Firebird by far.

The Rite of Spring pounds and grinds away, and some of the areas are incredibly distressing, shrieking and squealing like mad. The Sacrificial Dance at the end is a little too slow to be really unsettling, but the tones are marvellously clear and live. All in all, a very impressive disc, with the Firebird as a highlight.

For purists, the grandest part of the Firebird finale is played at EXACTLY the same speed as a live performance by THE COMPOSER HIMSELF, recorded on a black-and-white DVD in London, when Stravinsky was a frail 83-year old man. No doubt the composer would have enjoyed Oue's version as well. Since the sould quality on the DVD is scratchy mono, Oue's incredible stereo performance is now my favorite disc of all time.

very good, but it has nothing on the NYP-Boulez recordings of this repertoire.......2006-08-03

The Minnesota Orchestra deserves recogition as one of the front-runners amongst American orchestras these days. I'm very serious about that: they can match Cleveland, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, or any other, section for section and note for note. These readings are outstanding performances by a great ensemble, then.

But the recordings of these pieces by Boulez, conducting the New York Philharmonic, are amongst the greatest recorded performances of any repertoire, and are preferable to these in every way. They're better recorded, leaping from the speakers with a raw power that simply isn't present with the effect of aural distance in the Minnesota recordings, and Boulez, with his mathematically analytical interpretitive approach, is more effective than Oue in this most rhythmically oriented music.

The difference is mostly due to the quality of the respective recordings, I think; but it remains true that the MSO delivers a lighter-bodied sound than the NYP... it's a Chianti to the NYP's Syrah. These are admirable readings but not the first choice.

Excellent and Refined.......2002-01-19

This CD I believe is very well done. The engineering of this recording is excellent and the quality of the orchestra is superb. Maestro Oue does a great job of taking the listener through the mind and works of Stravinsky. The Firebird is my favorite piece on the CD. One of the most wonderful moments in modern music is the beautiful horn solo at the beginning of the Finale. The Rite of Spring is also incredibly done. The emotion and the quality of this recording is at the highest level possible.

Impressive but cool.......2000-08-04

These magnificent works of art by Stravinsky are being played and recorded by numerous orchestras and the Minnesota Orchestra under Mr. Oue has made a startling performance of it. But there are some catches to it, and I think it is the excellence of the performance that bothers me most. Especially in the Firebird there is a lack of prominence, a lack of joy de vivre, and although the drumbeats are breathtaking, the intentions of Stravinsky are not fulfilled. As a matter of fact, there are better performances than this one, i.e. The Firebird in its original setting by Gergiev on Philips or The Nightingale by Dorati on Mercury Living Presence. Most of my criticism is focused on the point that it does not sound Russian enough. The recording by Reference Recording is flawless, although you should turn up your equipment to a rather unusual high volume to hear all details.

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 All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Etudes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Preludes | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Scherzo | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Symphonies | Forms & Genres | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Piano | Keyboard | Instruments | 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 The Decca Records Store | Specialty Stores | Music Similar Items: Debussy, Ravel: Orchestral Works Grieg: Complete Music with Orchestra Strauss: Orchestral Works Beethoven - The Complete String Quartets / Alban Berg Quartet Sibelius: The Complete Symphonies & Tone Poems ASIN: B00005ND3M Release Date: 2002-05-14

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

1. Petrouchka: Tableau 1: The Shrovetide Fair
2. Petrouchka: Tableau 2: In Petrushka's Room
3. Petrouchka: Tableau 3: In The Moor's Room
4. Petrouchka: Tableau 4: The Shrovetide Fair, Evening
5. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Intro
6. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Augurs Of Spring/Dances Of The Young Girls
7. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of Abduction
8. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Spring Rounds
9. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of The Rival Tribes
10. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Procession Of The Sage
11. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: The Sage
12. The Rite Of Spring: The Adoration Of The Earth: Dance Of The Earth
13. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Intro
14. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls
15. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Glorification Of The Chosen One
16. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Evocation Of The Ancestors
17. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
18. The Rite Of Spring: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The Chosen One

Tracks:

1. Pulcinella: Ov: Allegro Moderato
2. Pulcinella: Serenata: Larghetto 'Mentre L'Erbetta' - Carlo Franzini
3. Pulcinella: Scherzino: Allegro
4. Pulcinella: Allegro
5. Pulcinella: Andantino
6. Pulcinella: Allegro
7. Pulcinella: Ancora Poco Meno 'Contento Forse Vivere' - Marilyn Tyler
8. Pulcinella: Allegro Assai
9. Pulcinella: Allegro - Alla Breve 'Con Queste Paroline' - Boris Carmeli
10. Pulcinella: Largo 'Sento Dire No'nce Pace' - Marilyn Tyler/Carlo Franzini/Boris Carmeli
11. Pulcinella: Allegro - Alla Breve
12. Pulcinella: Tarantella
13. Pulcinella: Andantino 'Se Tu M'Ami' - Marilyn Tyler
14. Pulcinella: Allegro
15. Pulcinella: Allegro
16. Pulcinella: Gavotta Con Due Vars
17. Pulcinella: Tempo Di Minuetto 'Pupilette, Fiammette D'Amore' - Marilyn Tyler/Carlo Franzini/Boris Carmeli
18. Pulcinella: Allegro Assai
19. Apollo: Prologue: Naissance D'Apollon
20. Apollo: Var D'Apollon: Apollon Et Les Muses
21. Apollo: Pas D'Action
22. Apollo: Var De Calliope
23. Apollo: Var De Polymnie
24. Apollo: Var De Terpsichore
25. Apollo: Var D'Apollon
26. Apollo: Pas De Deux
27. Apollo: Coda: Apollon Et Les Muses
28. Apollo: Apotheose

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

1. The Soldier's Tale: Marche Du Soldat - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
2. The Soldier's Tale: Musique Pour Scene 1 - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
3. The Soldier's Tale: Musique Pour Scene 2 - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
4. The Soldier's Tale: Marche Royale - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
5. The Soldier's Tale: Petit Conc - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
6. The Soldier's Tale: Tango - Waltz - Ragtime - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
7. The Soldier's Tale: Danse Du Diable - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
8. The Soldier's Tale: Chorale - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
9. The Soldier's Tale: Marche Triomphale Du Diable - Michael Schwalbe/Hans Fryba/Leon Hoogstoal/Henri Helaerts/Paolo Longinotti/Pierre Aubapan...
10. Pulcinella: Sinf
11. Pulcinella: Serenata
12. Pulcinella: Scherzino
13. Pulcinella: Allegro
14. Pulcinella: Andantino
15. Pulcinella: Tarantella
16. Pulcinella: Toccata
17. Pulcinella: Gavotta Con Due Vars
18. Pulcinella: Vivo
19. Pulcinella: Minuetto
20. Pulcinella: Finale

Tracks:

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

Tracks:

1. Con: Largo - Allegro - Nikita Magaloff
2. Con: Largo - Nikita Magaloff
3. Con: Allegro - Nikita Magaloff
4. Capriccio: Presto - Nikita Magaloff
5. Capriccio: Andante Rapsodico - Nikita Magaloff
6. Capriccio: Allegro Capriccioso Ma Tempo Giusto - Nikita Magaloff
7. Ste No.1: Andante
8. Ste No.1: Napolitana - L'Orch De La Suisse Romande/Ernest Ansermet L
9. Ste No.1: Espanola
10. Ste No.1: Balalaika
11. Ste No.2: Marche
12. Ste No.2: Valse
13. Ste No.2: Polka
14. Ste No.2: Galop
15. 4 Etudes: Danse
16. 4 Etudes: Excentrique
17. 4 Etudes: Cantique
18. 4 Etudes: Madrid
19. Scherzo A La Russe

Tracks:

1. Sym Of Psalms: I. Psaume XXXIX - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
2. Sym Of Psalms: II. Psaume XL - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
3. Sym Of Psalms: III. Psaume CL - Choeur De Radio Lausanne/Andre Charlet
4. The Wedding: Tableau 1: At The Bride's - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
5. The Wedding: Tableau 2: At The Bridegroom's - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
6. The Wedding: Tableau 3: The Bride's Departure - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
7. The Wedding: Tableau 4: The Wedding Feast - Basia Retchitzka/Lucienne Devallier/Hugues Cuenod/Heinz Rehfuss/Vladimir Diakoff/Motet De Geneve...
8. Mavra: Ov
9. Mavra: Air - Joan Carlyle
10. Mavra: Gypsy Song - Kenneth Macdonald/Joan Carlyle
11. Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Joan Carlyle
12. Mavra: Air - Helen Watts
13. Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
14. Mavra: Duet - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
15. Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair/Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
16. Mavra: Qt - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair/Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
17. Mavra: Dialogue - Helen Watts/Monica Sinclair
18. Mavra: Duet - Joan Carlyle/Kenneth Macdonald
19. Mavra: Dialogue - Kenneth Macdonald/Joan Carlyle/Helen Watts
20. Mavra: Air - Kenneth Macdonald
21. 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.

Average customer rating: The Worst Sound Quality On a Disc! This Can't Be a Rahbari Student Conducting Stravinsky Very Similar to the Naxos recording with Alexander Rahbari The Slowest Rendition of The Firebird Yet.

Igor Stravinsky: Le Chant Du Rossignol/The Firebird Manufacturer: Chandos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B000000ANH Release Date: 1992-10-28

Tracks:

1. Le Chant du Rossignol - poeme symphonique
2. The Firebird: Introduction
3. The Firebird - I Tableau: Le jardin enchante de Kastchei
4. The Firebird - I Tableau: Apparition de l'oiseau de feu poursuivi par Ivan Tsarevitch
5. The Firebird - I Tableau: Danse de l'oiseau de feu
6. The Firebird - I Tableau: Capture de l'oiseau de feu par Ivan Tsarevitch
7. The Firebird - I Tableau: Supplications de l'oiseau de feu - Apparition des treize princesses enchantees
8. The Firebird - I Tableau: Jeu des princesses avec les pommes d'or (scherzo)
9. The Firebird - I Tableau: Brusque apparition d'Ivan Tsarevitch
10. The Firebird - I Tableau: Corovod (ronde) des princesses
11. The Firebird - I Tableau: Lever du jour - Ivan Tsarevitch penetre dans le palais de Kastchei
12. The Firebird - I Tableau: Carillon feerique, apparition des monstres-gardiens de Kastchei et capture d'Ivan Tsarevitch - Arrivee de Kastchei l'immortel - Dialogue de Kastchei avec Ivan Tsarevitch - Intercession des princesses
13. The Firebird - I Tableau: Apparition de l'oiseau de feu - Danse de la suite de Kastchei enchantee par l'oiseau de feu
14. The Firebird - I Tableau: Danse infernale de tous les sujets de Kastchei
15. The Firebird - I Tableau: Berceuse (L'oiseau de feu) - Reveil de Kastchei - Mort de Kastchei - Profonds tenebres
16. The Firebird - II Tableau: Disparition du palais et des sortileges de Kastchei, animation des chevaliers petrifies, allegresse generale

Customer Reviews:

The Worst Sound Quality On a Disc!.......2003-11-19

No! This is not the greatest Firebird on a disc! The conductor is so unknown, I thought this was a Herbert Von Karajan student or even an Alexander rahbari student conducting but it isn't. This is some guy I've never heard of named Dmitry Kitajenko. Ignore the reviews the other 2 Josh Rappaports wrote. I get bored with the slow pacing. Take either Stravinsky's own recording with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra, Kent Nagano's recording with the London Symphony Orchestra, or Pierre Boulez's recording with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. This is one sedated recording. The only piece I like here is Le Chant du Rossignol! That's the piece which saves the disc from bad sound quality

This Can't Be a Rahbari Student Conducting Stravinsky.......2003-11-15

Could I be dreaming or is this one of those excellent Firebirds conducted by a non-name-brand person. This Dmitri Kitajanko must've studied with the naxos conductor, Alexander Rahbari when he was a conducting student. His conducting often does reminds me of Alexander Rahbari's conducting. I agree with the other reviewer (the one who has the same name as I do). Like Alexander Rahbari, Dmitri Kitajenko conducts one of the most beautiful Firebirds ever! This is a cut from the rest, even though nobody's ever heard of this conductor, Dmitri Kitajenko and neither has anybody heard of the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra. This is the only Firebird recording that I'd compare with the Alexander Rahbari recording on the naxos label. Chandos is on the same level as Naxos is here on these Stravinsky recordings. This is what I call the rediscovery of the final piece of music in Fantasia 2000, only even better than that and far more slower (maybe at times even slower than Kitajenko's recording of the 1919 Version of the Firebird Suite at certain places). If anybody wants Stravinsky's The firebird, this recording would be it.

Very Similar to the Naxos recording with Alexander Rahbari.......2003-11-12

Unlike any of the other Stravinsky Firebirds I've heard before, this recording with the Danish National Radio Symphony Orchestra and Dmitry Kitajenko could compare to the Naxos recording of the suite from the ballet with the BRT Philharmonic Orchestra and Alexander Rahbari conducting. If I look at the track listing, the Princess Rounds would be clocked to 7:30 minutes, a minute longer than the naxos recording of it which is 6:28 minutes. The introduction is probably close to 4:00 minutes, much longer than the naxos recording:2:57. King Kashchei's Dance would be clocked to 4:46 minutes, twice as much as the naxos recording. The finale is probably 4:10 minutes long, beating the Rahbari recording one minute. That recording is 3:27 minutes long. This recording of the Stravinsky ballet, The Firebird clocks to about 53:45 minutes, I think. Like Alexander Rahbari's recording on the naxos label, this recording is one of the most beautiful Firebird recordings I ever heard. The sound quality is the only thing that is average on this recording, sometimes it's quiet and sometimes it's loud.

The Slowest Rendition of The Firebird Yet........2003-03-16

I do not own this CD nor have I ever heard it, but this one, if I will ever hear it would be a poorly done rendition of both these works: Stravinsky's Le Chant du Rossignol and The Firebird.
All I've heard of this CD is of the timing of The Firebird Dmitry Kitajenko puts the orchestra to close to 53 minutes, though it should be close to 48 to 49 minutes. I still would love to buy this CD someday even if it is a kind-of-poorly done rendition of The firebird. I'd feel it like a rollercoaster if I heard this so-so rendition. I love slow-paced recordings and this one is the one that I'd like to buy if I saw it. I don't really know Le Chant du Rossignol all that well and that's why I'm not writing about that piece.

Average customer rating: A Nightingale Worthy of Recognition Five stars for a superb Nightingale, with gratitude to Naxos 'O God above, how beautiful it is'

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring: The Nightingale Manufacturer: Naxos ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music 4-for-3 Classical | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music 4-for-3 All Music | 4-for-3 Music | Stores | Music Similar Items: Stravinsky: Three Greek Ballets (Apollo, Agon, Orpheus) Stravinsky: Pulcinella; The Fairy's Kiss Stravinsky: The Firebird (Complete Original Version); Petrushka (Revised 1947 Version) Stravinsky: Symphony of Psalms Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex; Les Noces ASIN: B000AMMSLM Release Date: 2005-09-20

Tracks:

1. Introduction
2. The Augurs Of Spring/Dances Of The Young Girls
3. Ritual Of Abduction
4. Spring Rounds
5. Ritual Of The Rival Tribes
6. Dance Of The Earth
7. Introduction
8. Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls
9. Glorification Of The Chosen One
10. Evocation Of The Ancestors
11. Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
12. Sacrificial Dance
13. Introduction
14. Fisherman
15. Nightingale's Aria
16. Chamberlain, Bonze, Cook, Courtiers
17. Second Entrance Of The Nightingale
18. Chamberlain And Bonze
19. Nightingale's Second Aria
20. Chamberlain And Bonze
21. Fisherman
22. Prelude: Chorus And Orchestra
23. Cook
24. Reprise Of The Prelude
25. Chinese March
26. Chamberlain
27. Song Of The Nightingale
28. The Japanese Envoys
29. The Mechanical Nightingale
30. The Emperor, Chamberlain, Courtiers
31. Reprise Of The Chinese March
32. Fisherman
33. Prelude
34. Chorus Of Ghosts, Emperor
35. Nightingale
36. Death And The Nightingale
37. The Nightingale's Aria
38. Emperor And Nightingale
39. Funeral Procession
40. Fisherman

Customer Reviews:

A Nightingale Worthy of Recognition.......2006-03-06

Stravinsky's "The Nightingale" is like a musical addiction: it is very powerful to listen to. This Chinese opera should be a special possession for all Neo-Classical fans. The soloists (especially Trofonova and Tear) give out their all with flair and flamboyance, the orchestra is in top form, the conductor handles the musicality very well, and the sound quality on this Naxos CD is just breathtakingly wonderful. What actually works for this 20th Century piece is its imagery and its Oriental stylishness for atonal melody. Stravinsky didn't just write this piece to be about death and redemption. He also wrote this in order to make us feel what 17th Century China was like. For this, I give an A+.

Craft's own rendition of "The Rite of Spring" is, sorry to say, a disappointing one. Half of the tension is heard nowhere, and the barbaric verve is frequently off. The softer and more organic sequences are typically managed with definitive accuracy, however. Dance of the Young Girls sounds more freakish and the Introduction to Part Two (The Sacrifice) lives up to other conductors' expectations (such as Gergiev and Salonen), but this doesn't make up for the weak presentations of the more monstrous sequences (The Sacrificial Dance comes to mind). All in all, I cannot recommend this version of The Rite of Spring, purely because of its feeble performance. Get this CD for the Nightingale.

Five stars for a superb Nightingale, with gratitude to Naxos.......2005-12-18

In their quest to rule the world, Naxos is picking up excellent reissues of British recordings, primarily featuring the Britten performances by Steuart Bedford and the discontinued Stravinsky cycle from the 1990s conducted by the composer's ever-faithful acolyte, Robert Craft. (These reissues are, frankly, miles ahead of the recordings Naxos makes on its own. )

This rare full-length "Nightingale" is one of the best things Craft has done and all the more valuable since I don't recall one conducted by the composer. The review below covers all the particulars. Clearly we have been missing out on a small masterpiece. Because Stravinsky worked on his chamber opera from 1909-1914, it both predates the Firebird and postdates the Rite of Spring. Critics have claimed that the work therefore suffers from stylistic schizophrenia. Not true--Stravinsky found a consistent, orchestrally splashy idiom, with touches of Orientalism, that's unique to The Nightingale. It doesn't sound like Mavra, Les Noces, Renard, or his choral works from this period. I would describe it as russian folk bel canto, at least in the florid bird songs done so superbly here by Olga Trifomova. Five stars.

Craft has always been hit-and-miss as a conductor, and with this 1995 Le Scare he misses, being unable to forcefully guide Stravinsky's huge orchestra. He's fine in the small inner details, but the build-up of tension over a long stretch is beyond him. Three stars, despite excellent plyaing from the LSO.

'O God above, how beautiful it is'.......2005-11-14

Thus sings the Fisherman (in Russian) about the singing of the nightingale in Stravinsky's 'Chinese opera' 'The Nightingale' ('Solovei' in Russian, often referred to as 'Le chant du rossignol,' its French title). And indeed the comment could apply to this performance of Stravinsky's neglected one-act opera from 1909-1914. This release is part of the ongoing Naxos/Robert Craft/Stravinsky collection that continues to make available marvelous performances previously on other labels. In this case, 'The Nightingale' appeared on the MusicMasters label in the late 1990s. Craft conducts the Philharmonia Orchestra. The Nightingale is sung by Mariinsky soprano, Olga Trifonova, in a clear high soprano. She handles the coloratura effortlessly and reaches her high E without shrieking. Robert Tear, a tenor I've admired for many years, sings the part of the humble Fisherman. Pippa Longworth sings The Cook and is slightly taxed by the part, but not onerously so. Paul Whelan sings a firm-voiced and suitably lordly Emperor. One of the great joys of this work is its inventive and extremely effective orchestration by Stravinsky. Where else have you heard trumpet and mandolin playing in unison? And Stravinsky takes on Messaien in his depiction of bird-sounds -- with tremolos, gruppetti, pizzicato glissandi, string and harp harmonics, trills -- not to mention the lowing of a cow or the croaking of a frog. This score is one of Stravinsky's most masterful inventions. What a shame it is not more often presented. There are other good recordings of the work, but none that I'm aware of that are budget-priced. Complete transliterated Russian libretto with English translation included.

'Rite of Spring,' of course, has been recorded many, many times, and frankly I've never heard a really bad performance of it. Its complexities seem to bring out the best in orchestras and conductors. But there are some sensational recordings of the work and this one, Craft conducting the London Symphony Orchestra and recorded in 1995 (previously released on Koch International) is not one of them. That is not to say that it is bad; indeed, it has some really nice touches (especially in the lyrical passages) here and there. But it misses the crackling energy of recordings by Simon Rattle, Igor Markevitch, Valery Gergiev and Pierre Boulez. This performance strikes me as just a little cautious. But, again, for budget price and especially if one wants 'The Nightingale' as well, this disc is a winner.

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating: A true portrait of Ansermet, despite two weak performances Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st

Ernest Ansermet Manufacturer: EMI Classics ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD General | Bartók, Béla | ( B ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Chabrier | Chabrier, Alexis Emanuel | ( C ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Ravel, Maurice | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Rachmaninov | Rachmaninov, Sergei | ( R ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Debussy | Debussy, Claude | ( D ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music General | Concertos | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music General | Symphonies | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General Contemporary | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music Romances | Classical (c.1770-1830) | Historical Periods | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music French | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B00005UUOY Release Date: 2002-06-04

Tracks:

1. Chant Du Rossignol: Introduction - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
2. Chant Du Rossignol: Marche Chinoise - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
3. Chant Du Rossignol - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
4. Chant Du Rossignol: Jeu Du Rossignol Mecanique - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
5. Scheherazade, Op.35: I The Sea And Sinbad's Ship - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
6. Scheherazade, Op.35: II The Story Of The Kalender Prince - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
7. Scheherazade, Op.35: III The Young Prince And The Young Princess - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
8. Scheherazade, Op.35: IV Festival Of Baghdad - The Sea - The Shipwreck - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
9. Prelude A L'apres-midi D'un Faune - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande

Tracks:

1. Concerto For Orchestra, Sz116: I (Introduzione) - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
2. Concerto For Orchestra, Sz116: II (Giuoco Delle Coppie) - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
3. Concerto For Orchestra, Sz116: III (Elegia) - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
4. Concerto For Orchestra, Sz116: IV (Intermezzo Interrotto) - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
5. Concerto For Orchestra, Sz116: V (Finale) - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
6. The Isle Of The Dead, Op.29 - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
7. La Valse - Orchestre De La Societe Des Concerts Du Conservatoire
8. Le Roi Malgre Lui: Fete Polonaise - Orchestre De La Suisse Romande

Amazon.com

One of the best of EMI's Great Conductors releases, this features the Swiss maestro performing the Modern, French, and Russian music in which he excelled. The first disc includes a terrific 1956 version of Stravinsky's Chant du Rossignol, brilliantly recorded, full of bold rhythms and atmospheric scene-painting, illustrating Ansermet's long experience as a ballet conductor. The Rimsky-Korsakov Scheherazade that follows it is the second of Ansermet's three recordings of the piece, from Decca's first 1954 Paris stereo sessions and still sounding good. Ansermet captures all its moods and colors, from the tension of the first movement to the flowing, languorous Orientalisms throughout. Bartók's Concerto for Orchestra is a well-judged, energetic interpretation. Rachmaninoff's Isle of the Dead derives from the same sessions as the Scheherazade, and captures its brooding quality with a rare transparency, another trait of Ansermet's conducting. His affinity for French music is heard in a lovely version of Debussy's Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune, a sparkling Ravel La Valse (which, like the Stravinsky, he premiered), and a scintillating "Fète Polonaise" from Chabrier's Le Roi malgré lui. Most of the set's contents remain among the better versions of these works, so its appeal extends beyond the ranks of conductor collectors and Ansermet fans. --Dan Davis

Customer Reviews:

A true portrait of Ansermet, despite two weak performances.......2005-11-06

Ernest Ansermet was Decca's house French conductor, even though he was Swiss, preceding the rise of Charles Dutoit to that post. He is a more interesting condcutor than Dutoit, and one of the last to form and train his own orchestra, as Koussevitzky did in Russia. All the music on this double CD is Russian or French, with the Bartok Concerto for Orchestra thrown in.

Ansermet was an intellectual conductor who began life as a mathematician. He had a refined, precise style that wasn't rigid, and perhaps because of his intellect, he made Stravinsky sound like an easy composer to conduct. Far and away the best thing in this collection is the first item, a mono reading of Stravinsky's Song of the Nightingale (1954) that bristles with quirky life and exotic orchestral noises. It's unfortunate that the compilers waste so much space with two big pieces, Scheherazade and the Barok Concerto for Orchestra, both quite substandard in sonics ad orchestral technique--they make Anermset sound provincial, and he was hardly that. The Orchestre de la Suisse Romande certainly was.

The samller pieces, like a fresh-sounding, charming Afternoon of a Faun, an Isle of the Dead in mono (1954) that manages not to sound lugubrious, and an unbuttoned 1954 mono La Valse show off the legendary sound that Decca gave Ansermet througout his career--odd that the Rimsky and the Bartok are wiry and substandard. Altogether, this is a true portrait of a French-styled conductor who released dozens of recordings over three decades and deserves even more reissues (such as his incomparable Sleeping Beauty ballet).

Great Conductors of 20th Century = Best Reissues of the 21st.......2003-05-19

It's sad that the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" reissue series has not gotten more notice on Amazon and in other places, because it has my vote for the best reissue program thus far of the 21st Century. Drawing from the archives of all the major classical labels (EMI, Sony, BMG, DG, Decca, Philips, Supraphon, etc.), EMI and IMG Artists have assembled a wonderful series of affordable two-disc sets by the leading conductors of the last century. And unlike its counterpart, "The Great Pianists of the 20th Century," which are basically compilations of material already available on other CDs, the "Great Conductors" features rare and, for the most part, previously unreleased performances!

This particular CD, Volume 2, features the great Ernest Ansermet leading L'Orchestre de la Suisse Romande, the orchestra he founded, and the Orchestre de la Societe des Concerts du Conservatoire. 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 Rimsky-Korsakov and Stravinsky to Ravel and Chabrier are engineered to perfection, and often sound better than the recordings by so-called more famous conductors.

Whether you are a serious collector of classical music or a beginner, the "Great Conductors of the 20th Century" has something for everyone. If the prized, rare performances previously unreleased on CD (or ever!) doesn't excite you, then use this as an opportunity to check out one of the greatest conductors ever recorded. Chances are, since stores are offering increasingly homogenized classical music sections, this conductor isn't even in your collection. And that would truly be a shame.

Average customer rating:

Favorite Stravinsky Ballets Manufacturer: Delos Records ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Keyboard | Instruments | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music ASIN: B00000071M Release Date: 1997-07-22

Tracks:

1. Petrouchka: First Tableau - The Shrove-Tide Fair
2. Petrouchka: Second Tableau - Petrouchka's Room
3. Petrouchka: Third Tableau - The Moor's Room
4. Petrouchka: Fourth Tableau - The Shrove-Tide Fair (Towards Evening)
5. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Introduction
6. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: The Augurs Of Spring
7. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of Abduction
8. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Spring Rounds
9. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Ritual Of The Rival Tribes
10. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Procession Of The Sage
11. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: The Sage
12. The Rite Of Spring: Part One - The Adoration Of The Earth: Dance Of The Earth
13. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Introduction
14. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls
15. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Glorification Of The Chosen One
16. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Evocation Of The Ancestors
17. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Ritual Action Of The Ancestors
18. The Rite Of Spring: Tart Two - The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance: The Chosen One

Tracks:

1. The Firebird: Introduction
2. The Firebird: Kashchei's Magic Garden
3. The Firebird: Appearance Of The Firebird, Pursued By Ivan Tsarevitch
4. The Firebird: Dance Of The Firebird
5. The Firebird: Capture Of The Firebird By Ivan Tsarevitch
6. The Firebird: The Firebird's Entreaties - Appearance Of The 13 Enchanted Princesses
7. The Firebird: The Princesses' Game With The Golden Apples (Scherzo) - Sudden Appearance Of Ivan Tsarevitch
8. The Firebird: Princesses' Khorovod (Round Dance)
9. The Firebird: Suprise - Ivan Tsarevitch Enters Kashchei's Palace
10. The Firebird: Magic Carillon, Appearance Of Kashchei's Guardian Monsters And The Capture Of Ivan Tsarevitch - Arrival Of The Immortal Kashchei - Kashchei's Dialogue With Ivan Tsarevitch - Princesses' Intercession - Appearance Of The Firebird
11. The Firebird: Dance Of Kashchei's Enchanted Retinue
12. The Firebird: Infernal Dance Of Kashchei's Subjects
13. The Firebird: Lullaby (The Firebird) - Awakening Of Kashchei - Death Of Kashchei - Deep Darkness
14. The Firebird: Disappearance Of The Palace And Of Kashchei's Spells - Animation Of The Petrified Warriors, General Thanksgiving
15. Song Of The Nightingale: Introduction
16. Song Of The Nightingale: Chinese March
17. Song Of The Nightingale
18. Song Of The Nightingale: Game Of The Mechanical Nightingale

Average customer rating:

Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Rossignol Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music Quartets | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music General | Chamber Music | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music General | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Russian | Languages | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music Choruses | Vocal Non-Opera | Opera & Vocal | Styles | Music ASIN: B000005EEM Release Date: 1995-06-06

Average customer rating: i love these people

Stravinsky: Pulcinella; Le Chant du Rossignol Manufacturer: Elektra / Wea ProductGroup: Music Binding: Audio CD Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music All Works by Stravinsky | Stravinsky, Igor | ( S ) | Featured Composers, A-Z | Classical | Styles | Music Tone Poems | Theatrical, Incidental & Program Music | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music Ballets & Dances | Modern, 20th, & 21st Century | Historical Periods | Classical | Styles | Music General | Classical | Styles | Music CDs $7 - $10 | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music All Bargain Titles | Classical General | Classical | Today's Deals in Music | Formats | Music ASIN: B000005E6K Release Date: 1992-02-11

Tracks:

1. Pulcinella: Ouverture - Ann Murray/Antony Rolfe-Johnson/Simon Estes/Ens Intercontemporain
2. Pulcinell: Serenata/Scherzino - Ann Murray/Antony Rolfe-Johnson/Simon Estes/Ens Intercontemporain
3. Pulcinella: Tarantella - Ann Murray/Antony Rolfe-Johnson/Simon Estes/Ens Intercontemporain
4. Pulcinella: Gavotta con due variaziono - Ann Murray/Antony Rolfe-Johnson/Simon Estes/Ens Intercontemporain
5. Le Chant Du Rossignol: Marche chinoise - Patrice Fontanarosa/Patrick Gallois/Bertrand Grenat/Yves Coueffe/Orch Nat De France
6. Le Chant Du Rossignol: Chant du Rossignol - Patrice Fontanarosa/Patrick Gallois/Bertrand Grenat/Yves Coueffe/Orch Nat De France
7. Le Chant Du Rossignol: Jeu du Rossignol mecanique - Patrice Fontanarosa/Patrick Gallois/Bertrand Grenat/Yves Coueffe/Orch Nat De France

Customer Reviews:

i love these people.......2005-02-22

lyrically these are the greatest artists of all time..they dont get the respect they deserve becoz people are buying other peoples junk which are overrates..get thise you WONT be disappointed..

Meditation Music:

1. J. Strauss: Die Fledermaus / Te Kanawa, Gruberova, Previn [highlights]
2. Jean-Marie Leclair: Scylla Et Glaucus (Highlights)
3. Kálmán: Die Herzogin von Chigago
4. Legend of Invisible City of Kitezh
5. Lucia di Lammermoor
6. Marilyn Horne Rossini Recital
7. Massenet: Cleopatre
8. Massenet: Thérèse
9. Maurice Ravel: L'Heure Espagnole
10. Mendelssohn: Die Hochzeit des Camacho (The Wedding of Camacho)

Meditation Music

meditation music

Meditation Music

Phantom Rockers

Kuhlau: Sonatas for flute & piano

Hindemith: Choral Works

Music: Fresh Goods

Input 64: A Collection of Commodore 64 Game Music

In the Heat of the Night [Import]

Irish Reflections [Import]

Live at Fenway Park (with bonus DVD) [Live]

(Last Chance) at the Romance Dance [Import]

Let It Be

Gypsy Soul

En Esta Zamba Ausente [Import]

Jam on It [CD-single]

Living on Borrowed Time

San Juan Suite (Vol. 1)