Stravinsky & Bartok

On this CD:

1. Concerto in D, for string orchestra in D Major, "Basel Concerto"
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Tonhalle-Orchestre Zurich
Conducted by Edmond de Stoutz

2. Concerto, for chamber orchestra in E-flat Major, "Dumbarton Oaks"
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Tonhalle-Orchestre Zurich
Conducted by Edmond de Stoutz

3. Divertimento, for string orchestra, Sz. 113, BB 118
Composed by Bela Bartok
Performed by Tonhalle-Orchestre Zurich
Conducted by Edmond de Stoutz

Tracks:

Petrouchka: Scene I - The Shrovetide Fair - Vivace - Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Magic Trick - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Russian Dance - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Scene II - Petrouchka's Cell - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Scene III - The Moor's Cell - L'istesso tempo - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of The Ballerina - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Waltz - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Scene IV - The Fair - Toward Evening - Tempo Giusto - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Wet Nurses' Dance - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Peasant With Bear - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Gypsies And A Rake Vendor - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of The Coachmen - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Masqueraders - Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Scuffle -Moor And Petrouchka- - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Death Of Petrouchka - Boston Symphony Orchestra
Appearance Of Petrouchka's Ghost - Boston Symphony Orchestra
The Rite Of Spring: The Rite Of Spring -- Part I - The Adoration Of The Earth - Introduction - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Harbingers of Spring - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Mock Abduction - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Spring Khorovod - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Games Of The Rival Tribes - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Procession Of The Wise Elder - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Adoration Of the Earth ; Dance Of The Earth - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Part II - The Sacrifice - Introduction - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Mystic Circles Of The Young Girls - Seiji Ozawa
Glorification Of The Chosen Victim - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Summoning Of The Ancestors - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Ritual Of The Ancestors - Seiji Ozawa
The Rite Of Spring: Sacrificial Dance - Seiji Ozawa
Fireworks: Fireworks, Op. 4 -Fantasy For Orchestra - Seiji Ozawa

Amazon.com

The Boston Symphony was at the peak of its powers when it engaged the 34-year-old Seiji Ozawa for this 1969 recording of Petrushka, in which the orchestra's then 24-year-old assistant conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, played the extensive solo piano part. Ozawa, in those years, was capable of striking sparks with any orchestra he faced, and there is a palpable sense of excitement to the Petrushka he uncorks here. The accounts of The Rite of Spring and Fireworks, recorded in 1968 with the Chicago Symphony, are equally dynamic and colorful. BMG's long-awaited 24/96 remastering unleashes the breathtakingly open sound of the original tapes for the first time on CD, and may require a volume cut to preserve peace with the neighbors. --Ted Libbey

Customer Reviews:

An Odd Release But A Bargain Price for Excellent Performances.......2006-01-14

One wonders why this pairing of Seiji Ozawa and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Michael Tilson Thomas and the Boston Symphony Orchestra all under the spell of Stravinsky was issued. Not that the performances individually need reinforcement because they don't. Perhaps it is the long relationship between Tilson Thomas and Ozawa or their similar approaches to this repertoire that was the driver. Whatever the reason, here are recordings that are a treat.

Tilson Thomas elects the 1947 version of Petrushka and offers a clear-headed, rhythmically sound, exciting performance. The warm Boston sound is intact and enhances his overall mood of the work. Ozawa and the Chicago forces give an all stops out performance of 'Le Sacre du printemps', a performance that is about as visceral and pagan as any on record. And the bonus of the brief but effective 'Feu D'artifice' fantasy is given a robust reading.

There are many recordings of 'Le Sacre du printemps' in the recorded repertoire: obviously every conductor wants to imprint his mark on this masterpiece. The sonics are all-important when the work is recorded and in the case of this recording the sonics are excellent. But there may soon be a startling surprise for lovers of this mighty, historically important music. This week Esa-Pekka Salonen gave a resplendent, detailed, emotionally charged performance that was recorded live by DGG in the Disney Hall. And if the technicians are able to cope with the amazingly live clarity of the acoustics of this grand architectural triumph, the recording may be the gold standard immediately upon release. Salonen has previously and successfully recorded the work with the Philharmonia Orchestra in 1990. The growth in stature in the intervening years has never been more obvious that this current state of Salonen's Stravinsky. Watch for it! Grady Harp, January 06

Great reading of these 2 works.......2005-12-07

Both the Rite of Spring and Petrouska are very well rendered in this recording... Ozawa's reading is insightful and very clear... The recording quality is great... Highly recommend this recording...

Best or not, you'll really love this Rite of Spring.......2004-06-29

Being among my top favorite pieces in the 20th century (after all, this piece turned the view of classical music upside down), I have tested myself listening to various versions by different performers. As far as much as I listened, my top two will have to be Leonard Bernstein with the New York Philharmonic (the most brashing, bashin, mind-crushin'!!!) and this equally thrilling performance with Ozawa leading the Boston Symphony Orchestra.

Officially, this is a major highlight throughout Ozawa's conducting legacy, still a very young man with seemly imperishable vigor and force very equilavent to his teacher Lenny. The Boston Symphony is an excellent orchestra to work with (the woodwinds and brass especially); otherwize the Chicago Symphony could have been the only other choice.

In my perspective, I had to admit that, just by focusing on the level of being barbaric and noxious, it slightly lacks that to Lenny, but on the other hand, it's brilliant controlled nail-biting high tempo can cover that.

Definitely worth buying!!! GO FOR IT!!!!!

Totally convincing.......2004-06-16

I have three recordings of "The Rite of Spring". I've known it in every detail since 1972 when I was 17 and I know the score inside out. This is the only performance (recorded or live) that I've ever heard that raised the hairs on the back of my neck, made me grip the seat and break out into a cold sweat, and ultimately made me understand what "The Rite" is all about. The recording does full justice to the performance. This is a "must have" for anyone who wants to understand the point of the work.

The best Rite of Spring.......2004-03-28

Ozawa's account of Stravinsky's most famous ballet is nothing short of astounding. The conductor has the Chicago Symphony playing with total attention. What is so amazing about this recording is that the orchestra is completely controlled and balanced. Although one may prefer a more spontaneous sounding Rite, one would be hard pressed to find a recording with more energy, polish, and power.

Ozawa's Petrouchka (with Michael Tilson Thomas at the piano) is equally amazing. The beauty of phrasing and emotion Ozawa instills into the players of the Boston Symphony orchestra is chilling. Indeed, when this recording was made, Ozawa had just taken the reigns or the orchestra (however, over the years, his energy and intensity has lessened) and they play for their new music director with total conviction.

Fireworks, a short symphonic sketch by the young Stravinsky, shows the influences of his teachers, especially Paul Dukas in the orchestration. Although not a seminal work, the opus 4 is delightful.

Tracks:

Also Sprach Zarathustra (Sunrise) - R. Strauss
Mars (The Planets) - Holst
Overture 1812 - Tchaikovsky
Entry Of The Gladiadtors - Fucik
Sabre Dance - Khachaturian
Procession Of The Sardar - Ippolitov Ivanov
Night On Bald Mountain - Mussorgsky
Anvil Chor (II Trovatore) - Verdi
The Thunderer March - Sousa
Thunder & Lightening Polka - J. Strauss
Prelude To Act III : Lohengrin - Wagner
The Ride Of The Valkryies - Wagner
Montagues & Capulets (Romeo & Juliet Ballet Suite) - Prokofiev
The Storm: Symphony No. 6 In F Major, 'Pastorale' - Beethoven
Rondeau - Edward Carroll
Overture: Fireworks Music - Handel
March To The Scaffold: Symphonie Fantastique - Berlioz
LesToreadors - Bizet
William Tell Overture: Finale - Rossini
Revolutionary Study - Abbey Simon
Fanfare For The Common Man - Copland
Sym No. 1 'Titan' IV Sturmisch Bewegt (Excerpt) - Mahler
Augurs Of Spring From Rite Of Spring - Stravinsky
Russian Dance From Petrouchka - Stravinsky
The Great Gate At Kiev From Pictures At An Exhibition - Mussorgsky

Customer Reviews:

Good selection.......2005-10-02

I bought this CD to use in my classroom as listening examples. I'm not just a super big fan of some of the performances, but they are all good and for the price you can't beat it. That's why I gave it 5 stars. It's worth more than it costs by far.

thunderous applause.......2005-08-31

This is a who's-who of great pieces of music you have heard all of your life, and never knew the names and stories! I listened to it over and over in the car and had my own concert! A friend borrowed it to add music to his Home Movies and it was perfect!

Good Music at a Great Price.......2004-03-06

I bought this CD mostly for "Entry of the Gladiators," which everyone will recognize as classic circus music. The performance on this CD (by Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops) is the best available version of Entry of the Gladiators. The rest of the CD offers mostly excerpts of classical music.

You will like this!.......2004-02-19

I had purchased an abundance of the "Favorites" collection and some were better than others.

This CD is at the top of them all. They may be short, but not that short. Wondrous music.

I can almost guarantee that you will like this music.
Well worth the price!

Good for the novice.......2002-06-08

The recordings on this disc are pretty good. However, the editors selected only the *loud* parts, as indicated by the title. I was pretty disappointed to find that the pieces are, in many cases, edited to reflect the most famous themes, etc, instead of including the whole work. In general, I would recommend this to the classical music novice, or someone who wants to expand their knowledge of classical music in general. Those who already are familiar with these pieces will probably feel gypped.

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]

Average customer rating:

Scheherazade
Definitive SACD of Scheherazade - Outstanding!!!!
best recording I could find
Russian rousers!
Amazing Sound

Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade; Stravinsky: Song of the Nightingale [Hybrid SACD]

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhibition, A Night on Bald Mountain, and Other Russian Showpieces [Hybrid SACD]
Richard Strauss: Also sprach Zarathustra; Ein Heldenleben [Hybrid SACD]
Brahms, Tchaikovsky: Violin Concertos [Hybrid SACD]
Dvorák's New World Symphony and Other Orchestral Masterworks [Hybrid SACD]
Respighi: Pines of Rome; Fountains of Rome; Debussy: La mer [Hybrid SACD]

ASIN: B0006PV5VC
Release Date: 2005-01-25

Tracks:

The Sea And Sinbad's Ship
The Story Of The Kalender Prince
The Young Prince And The Young Princess
Festival Of Bagdad/The Sea/The Ship Goes To Pieces On A Rock Surmounted By A Bronze Warrior (Shipwreck)/Conclusion
Presto
Chinese March
Song Of The Nightingale
The Mechanical Nightingale
The Emperor's Displeasure At The Departure Of The real Nightingale
The Emperor's Sickroom
The Real Nightingale Returns To Thwart Death
Funeral March And Finale

Amazon.com

This is a classic recording of these two works, led with grand authority by Fritz Reiner. The Chicago's brass and wind section play gloriously throughout, and the final movement of Scheherazade (we learn from the original producer [1960] in an accompanying essay) was recorded in one take--an almost unheard-of feat. This fast movement is taken at breakneck speed, with no loss of clarity or power, with the strings in the hands of magicians. Stravinsky's Nightingale has never sounded so exotic, so bristling over with color, since this 1956(!) recording under Reiner, and the wonderful surprise with this new release of old material is the revamped sound: the original "Living Stereo" was a fantastic breakthrough in recording, and this new SACD format has returned the spatial relationships to something so "real" that it comes as close as I've ever heard to a true concert hall experience. Simply glorious. --Robert Levine

Customer Reviews:

Scheherazade.......2007-07-08

This specific performanace of this album is excellent. The musical content is excellent and is a real crowd pleaser that anyone would want to listen to frequently. The technical recording (Hybrid SACD) is muddy when played back on ordinary equipment. That is the loudest passages are truncated (i.e. made quieter) and the softest passes are truncaded (i.e. made louder). This assessment is made in comparision to my original vinyl LP of this same recording. Presumably to get the best audio from the CD recording you will need SACD playback equipment. If you don't have a decent copy of vinyl version I would highly recommend this CD.

Definitive SACD of Scheherazade - Outstanding!!!!.......2007-02-18

This multichannel SACD is recorded in the front 3 channels only, as this is what the technicians and their top notch analog equipment recorded more than 40 years ago. At that time the Chicago Symphony and conductor Fritz Reiner were both at the top of their game, and this recording has not been equalled to this day. Absolutely puts the listener in the middle of the ninth or tenth row, and provides the clean dynamic sound of the best recordings made today! This is the wonderful Scheherazade I grew up with, but much better because of SACD technology and my current audio system.

best recording I could find.......2007-01-19

I heard Scheherazade live with the NY Phil. The power of that full orchestra in Russian forte was something, but even more memorable was the beautiful violin played by the concert master. This recording manages to balance the two opposites sonically. Mr Bill

Russian rousers!.......2007-01-06

"The Song of the Nightingale" is not my favorite Stravinsky...it just doesn't work that well as a piece of music, especially when compared to the opera original. But Reiner makes it work somehow: the pacing is terrific and the playing as usual is razor-sharp. "Scheherazade" may be pretty tired by now but when you hear this performance it comes to life again and you realize why it has been such a popular score. Sure there are other ways to play it but this one is sensational...and the last movement was done in a single take!

Amazing Sound.......2006-09-19

Best Scheherazade I ever heard. The performace was exciting and touching. The SACD provides so much details and dynamics of the recording that it makes me really feel that I was there.

Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition

Average customer rating:

Mickey mouse on cover, elevator music for 70 year olds
Optical soundtrack recording limitations
Review of soundtrack Fantasia issues
Fantasia
low-fi fantasia

Walt Disney's Fantasia: Remastered Original Soundtrack Edition

Manufacturer: Disney
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Fantasia 2000: An Original Walt Disney Records Soundtrack
Fantasia (60th Anniversary Special Edition)
Fantasia
Fantasia 2000
Classic Disney: 60 Years of Musical Magic

ASIN: B000001M4K
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Tracks:

Toccata And Fugue In D Minor - (by Bach)
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Chinese Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Dance Of The Reed Flutes
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Arabian Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Russian Dance
The Nutcracker Suite Op.71A: Waltz Of The Flowers
The Sorcerer's Apprentice
Rite Of Spring

Tracks:

Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: I. Allegro Ma Non Troppo
Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: II. Andante Molto Mosso
Symphony No.6 ('Pastoral') Op.68: III. Allegro/IV. Allegro/V. Allegretto
Dance Of The Hours (From The Opera 'La Gioconda')
A Night On Bald Mountain
Ave Maria Op.52 No.6

Amazon.com essential recording

It's hard to believe now that Walt Disney's bold 1940 impressionistic experiment in wedding then-state-of-the-art animation with classical music was a rather resounding failure upon its release. The cliché proves the rule: Fantasia was decades ahead of its time (Disney even launched a "psychedelic"-themed rerelease campaign in the late '60s). It's even harder to fathom that then-Disney management spent over a million dollars in the early '80s replacing the muscular Leopold Stokowski score with a digitally recorded clone, then another undisclosed fortune to digitize Leo and put him back alongside Mickey at the conductor's podium in the '90s! This much-traveled Stokowski score will gain no points for subtlety (a symphonic Shaq attack is more like it), but it was Walt's first--and only!--choice and has never sounded better. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews:

Mickey mouse on cover, elevator music for 70 year olds.......2007-06-04

I bought it a couple of years ago looking at the cover but was extremely disappointed when my 18-month old insisted on "Mickey" today and I chucked it into my DVD player. Our baby started crying aloud suggesting "what is this rap?" Disney folks ought to know better not try and market elevator music for 70-year olds to little toddlers regardless of how fantasia the cover looks like!

Optical soundtrack recording limitations.......2007-03-05

The soundtrack recordings for "Fantasia" were provided
to the theaters of 1940 as optical tracks on the side
of the film being shown. Such recordings cannot be
compared to the magnetic tape recordings made after WWII
(using captured or "liberated" German machines at first),
to say nothing of the current digital technology.

An analog optical soundtrack on motion picture film was
bad enough, but the film itself was nitrate, notorious
for disintegrating over a relatively short period of time,
as well as for its flammability. The prints in
circulation wore out until "the sound had gotten so bad,
theaters were refusing to book the film" according to a
Disney spokesman quoted in the New York Times of March
11, 1982.

Stokowski knew what a difference stereo recording made,
compared to mono, because almost a decade earlier, he and
the Philadelphia Orchestra participated (without the
players' knowledge) in a series of experimental high
fidelity and stereo disc recordings made by Bell
Telephone Labs. At the time, Bell Labs and Western
Electric tried to interest several manufacturers of
phonographs in the new technology, but the Great
Depression was underway, and the idea of marketing
phonographs with two stylii and two loudspeakers was
deemed unfeasible. (The Bell system had 33-1/3 rpm
discs with two parallel grooves, requiring two stylii
for playback.)

The Fantasound process, as I understand it, required a
theater to install a single loudspeaker behind the screen
and three loudspeakers along each of the two side walls,
resembling somewhat today's "surround sound." But the
idea was not to produce true stereo sound, but rather
the "ping-pong" stereo concept, with the sounds from the
loudspeakers following the cartoon characters as they
moved back and forth across the screen.

I sometimes wonder if the original recordings were made
with discs, not on soundtrack film -- in which case they
might still exist somewhere in the Disney archives. The
many thousands of original cartoon animation cels used to
create the film images were not treated as archival
material, such as the original Technicolor negatives
of "Gone With The Wind" which were stored in underground
Kansas caves, where the temperature remained steady for
decade after decade. Instead, the cels were either
destroyed or individually distributed to interested
parties. All told, it's remarkable that the film and
soundtrack have survived almost seventy years in the
shape they're in.

Stokowski was not thrilled with the end product
of "Fantasia" because, reportedly, Disney engineers
played with his recording, snipping off beats to match
the animation and enhancing crescendos. Stravinsky --
the only composer represented who was still living at
the time -- also was appalled at Stokowski's rearrangement
of his work (which Stravinsky sold to Disney for $5,000
because he needed the money at the time), to say nothing
of the dinosaurs prancing about to his ballet. The 1940
audiences were either outraged (the purists), puzzled or
bored (the general public), or snickering that Disney
had "lost it" (the film industry). But some of us loved it.

Yet "Fantasia," like "The Rite of Spring," proved far
more durable than its critics could imagine. At the
time, I was familiar with the music of Beethoven's Sixth
Symphony, Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker", Bach's "Ave Maria,"
and even Ponchielli's "Dance of the Hours," but "The Rite
of Spring," and "The Sorceror's Apprentice," and "Night on
Bald Mountain" as well as Bach's "Toccata and Fugue" were
revelations for me. I didn't know then that Stokowski
tinkered with those scores, but now I have a large number
of various performances of all of them in my recording
collection. My "Fantasia" recordings were issued on LPs
in the 1970s and are treasured as historic artifacts.

In effect, that is what this two-CD album is. It's a
mistake to listen to it as performances comparable to
modern digital recordings. Enjoy them for what they are
- historical efforts to popularize classical music.

Richard Q. Hofacker, Jr., Basking Ridge, NJ

Review of soundtrack Fantasia issues.......2007-02-16

Thanks to the other reviewers for honest opinions on sound quality of this product issue. The FANTASIA soundtrack deserved better, and fortunitely, I once bought a 2-volume cassette edition of Fantasia, remastered original soundtrack edition, purchased at Tomorrowland souvenir shop at Disneyland back in 1990. Still have it, in great condition box set, and even the new boom boxes sold in todays market, feature cassette and cd play. Muchos grac!

Fantasia.......2007-01-10

I am satisfied that the CD is of the original production of Fantasia, which I feel is superior to the current DVD. I hope that a DVD version of the original version will be made available at some time. The sound quality leaves a little to be desired, however.

low-fi fantasia.......2007-01-10

I was disapointed with the low-fi recording. I realize the soundtrack is from the 1940's, but I assumed it has been re-mastered. Rather muddy sound.

Stravinsky: Three Greek Ballets (Apollo, Agon, Orpheus)

Average customer rating:

Robert Craft & Stravinsky: 3 Ballets on Themes of Greek Mythology
A Return to the Greeks a la Stravinsky
Absolute Caftsmanship
Very good rendition
Fine Performances of Three Fine Stravinsky Ballets

Stravinsky: Three Greek Ballets (Apollo, Agon, Orpheus)

Manufacturer: Naxos
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Stravinsky: Pulcinella; The Fairy's Kiss
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Kurt Weill: Symphonies Nos. 1 & 2; Lady in the Dark - Symphonic Nocturne

ASIN: B0008JEKCW
Release Date: 2005-05-17

Tracks:

Prologue: The Birth Of Apollo - London Symphony Orchestra
Apollo's Variation - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas D'Action: Apollo And the Muses - London Symphony Orchestra
Variation Of Calliope - London Symphony Orchestra
Variation Of Polymnia - London Symphony Orchestra
Variation Of Terpsichore - London Symphony Orchestra
Variation Of Apollo - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas De Deux: Apollo And Terpsichore - London Symphony Orchestra
Coda: Apollo And the Muses - London Symphony Orchestra
Apotheosis: Apollo And the Muses - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas De Quarte - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Double Pas De Quarte - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Triple Pas De Quarte - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Prelude - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
First Pas De Trois: Saraband-Step - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Gaillarde - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Coda - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Interlude - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Second Pas De Trois: Bransle Simple - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Bransle Gay - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Bransle Double (Bransle De Poitou) - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Interlude - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Pas De Deux/Piu Mosso/L'Istesso Tempo/Refrain - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Coda/Doppio Lento/Quasi Stretto/Coda - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Four Duos - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Four Trios - Orchestra Of St. Luke's
Lento Sostenuto - London Symphony Orchestra
Air De Danse - London Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of the Angel Of Death - London Symphony Orchestra
Interlude - London Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of The Furies - London Symphony Orchestra
Air De Danse - London Symphony Orchestra
Interlude - London Symphony Orchestra
Air De Danse - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas D'Action - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas De Deux - London Symphony Orchestra
Interlude - London Symphony Orchestra
Pas D'Action - London Symphony Orchestra
Apotheosis - London Symphony Orchestra

Customer Reviews:

Robert Craft & Stravinsky: 3 Ballets on Themes of Greek Mythology.......2006-12-20

Naxos is doing us all a most welcome favor by re-releasing the Robert Craft performances of Stravinsky (and some Webern, and some Schoenberg) that earlier passed through on labels like MusicMaster and Koch Classics.

On this disc we get three of the later ballets that the composer did, based on Greek themes in mythology.

The earliest of these works is the ballet, Apollo. Or Apollon musagete. (1928) Craft seems to have had a complex relationship to the master, part family, part soul-mated colleague, and maybe part worshipper of the muses. He leads a deft and balanced reading of Apollo with the LSO. Do not let yourself be misled by the mainly diatonic, or major-key based, nature of this neo-classically fresh music. It is euphonius, and transcends its analytical means.

After visiting for a day with the composer, the Russian impresario Diaghilev wrote to a friend, "...it is, of course, an amazing work, extraordinarily calm and with greater clarity than anything he has done: filigree counterpoint around transparent, clear-cut themes, all in a major key, music not of this world, but from somewhere above ..."

Diaghilev got it, then, and so do Robert Craft and the players.

Second comes the latest of these 3 ballets, Agon. (1957) By this time the master was going serial, or twelve-tone, in his very own special way. He finished Agon close to his 75th birthday, and there is little or nothing quite like it in most of the published twelve-tone literature. Somehow, Stravinsky finds the intense economies that we associate with Webern while staying true to himself. There is no published scenario to Agon, as if the music were its own reason for being a ballet. The Orchestra of St. Luke's is smaller than the LSO, but no less musically gifted. Yet again, Robert Craft's leadership is astute, and he seems to have an ear no less incisive than Pierre Boulez when it comes to pitch, texture, and rhythm. What he offers that Pierre Boulez sometimes does not, at least as recorded, is a certain warmth and involvement, a certain sensory richness and physicality.

The last ballet on this disc is the one written in between Apollo and Agon: Orpheus (1946). The choice of subject originated with Georges Balanchine who was much taken with the Orpheus myth, but ballet stage designer Isamu Noguchi also deserves credit for bringing the work to life as dance, as scene, and as total art work. Stravinsky's genius was supported and nourished by the other two, and so we get a sort of return of the younger composer, all that much wiser for being able to embrace sensuality again after having survived two world wars and ending up settled amid the posturing glitz of Hollywood and southern California. Craft leads the LSO in another fine reading.

Apollo and Orpheus were caught in Abbey Road, U.K., and Agon in an auditorium at SUNY, Purchase. The sound matches the clarity, brilliance, and sensual heft of these three performances. Never flashy. No kitsch. But generous and scintillating, nonetheless.

Check out the whole Robert Craft series of recorded Stravinsky. This disc is just one among a string of finely matched pearls, waiting for the black velvet of your listening room's expectant quiet.

A Return to the Greeks a la Stravinsky.......2006-06-24

This marvelous CD presents three Stravinsky ballets that deal with Greek mythology and span Stravinsky's output from 1927 through 1957 allowing us to hear the manner in which Stravinsky continued to grow with the musical changes of the times (if not invent them!). The conductor is Robert Craft, Stravinsky's longtime colleague and promoter and in these recordings, each made originally on separate sessions, he conducts the London Symphony Orchestra and the Orchestra of St. Lukes, both ensembles having an affinity for these works.

'Apollon musagete, ballet in 2 scenes for string orchestra' (1927) is probably the finest of his neoclassical period works for orchestra alone. It can be steely cool in other's hands, but here Craft draws an achingly beautiful sound from the London Symphony. It is meditative, serenely poignant and ethereal.
'Agon, ballet for twelve dancers & orchestra' (1957) is one of Stravinsky's twelve tone works that manages to go beyond the usual constrictions of that form to become an unusually melodic work. Craft and the Orchestra of St. Lukes offer a performance that gives all of the sixteen variations individual importance.

'Orpheus, ballet in 3 scenes for orchestra' (1947) concludes the recital with the admixture of both Stravinsky's neoclassicism with his early penchant for seething romantic melody lines. This is the work of the three that will find widest audience appeal for those not yet captivated with the Stravinsky 'cerebral works' and it makes a fine way to complete this exploration into Greek themes so cleverly programmed by the reconstructors of this first class CD. Highly Recommended. Grady Harp, June 06

Absolute Caftsmanship.......2005-07-17

Robert Craft was one of Stravinkij's best friends and worked closely with him in several circumstaces over the course of the years until the composer died. Craft was almost like a borther for Stravinsky (he lived with the russian composer's family both in California and later in New York City, and shared with him many ideas and projects which eventually culminated in a artistic relationship. Crafts wrote the libretto for The Flood and became the major biogarpher and Stravinskij's scholar publishing several numbers of books and essays on Starvinsky's ouvres and asethetic.

In this recording Craft is actually the best interpreterof Starvinsky's ballet music. Before I listened to this extraordinary Naxos CD, I thought tha Ansermet went farther than anybody else did --even more than Stravinskij himself. Craft made me change my mind: when you listen to his intepretation of this music, you have the feeling that he is talking to his longstanding friend Igor while conducting his music.

This recording will mark a milestone in revealing the beauty of Stravibnskij's music. Buy it, you won't regret it!

Very good rendition.......2005-07-01

I am so glad to find all three of these ballets on one CD.

The performance is beautiful. I could find nothing wrong with the interpretation, and I can assure you I am quite picky.

Anyway, I highly recommend this CD.

Fine Performances of Three Fine Stravinsky Ballets.......2005-06-10

Whoever had the idea of putting these performances of three of Stravinsky's ballets based on classical Greek themes on the same CD should get a medal. They are plucked and combined from several Koch Classics releases of a few years ago. Naxos seems to be reissuing all of Robert Craft's Stravinsky performances from the Koch label, and that's good. Craft, who has an unwarranted reputation as a dry-as-dust conductor, actually puts quite a bit of juice in these lovely scores. Similar as they may be in thrust, these three scores are really quite different from each other. 'Apollo' (1927-28) is for strings alone and is quintessential neoclassicism. 'Orpheus' (1947), for full orchestra, mixes neoclassicism with old-fashioned lyrical romanticism; indeed it is Stravinsky's first work since 'Firebird' to use the marking 'espressivo.' 'Apollo' and 'Orpheus' are narrative ballets but 'Agon' (1957) is plotless. It is very nearly atonal and varies the orchestration for nearly all the sixteen variations; the full orchestra is never used for any of them. Yet, within a few notes anyone familiar with Stravinsky's sound will immediately identify the composer of any of these works. It's always seemed amazing to me that a twelve-tone work by Stravinsky still sounds like him.

In 'Apollo' (or 'Apollon musagète' as it is called in French) all violence and abrasiveness (as one might expect from the composer of 'The Rite of Spring') are eschewed. Rather the work coolly and lyrically limns the birth and life of Apollo in music that is like some 18th-century court ballet filtered through 19th-century French ballet composers like Adam and Delibes. Delicious. And deliciously performed here by the London Symphony under Craft.

'Orpheus' was commissioned by Lincoln Kirstein for George Balanchine who had suggested the subject. It was originally intended to be coupled with 'Apollo' in performance but in fact that did not happen at its première. Although narrative, it is intensely hieratic and uses neobaroque gestures including canon, other kinds of counterpoint, restless bass lines, ostinati and the like. It is more austere than 'Apollo' but lyrical nonetheless. It, too, is given a lovely, flexible, suave performance by the LSO.

'Agon' (Greek for 'contest') is essentially a dance contest before the gods. Not really quite atonal, but making use of a 12-tone row, it combines Renaissance dances (including a galliard in C major with a canon featuring harp and mandolin), coupled with what Stephen Walsh in Grove's calls 'high-speed stream-of-consciousness chromaticism.' Its première was conducted by Robert Craft, and here, conducting the Orchestra of St. Luke's, he leads a fast-moving performance that occasionally gets a little out of breath, but is energetic and energizing for all that.

There have been other recordings of these works, including those conducted by Stravinsky himself, but these are satisfying and in modern sound.

Recommended.

TT=77:45

Scott Morrison

Average customer rating:

Marvellous!
The best violinist ever!

Itzhak Perlman's Greatest Hits, Vol. 2

Manufacturer: EMI Classics
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Cinema Serenade
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Cinema Serenade II: The Golden Age

ASIN: B00004XST2
Release Date: 2000-09-12

Tracks:

Chanson Sans Paroles
Polonaise De Concert No.1, Op.4
It's Peaceful Here, Op.21 No.7
Chanson Russe
Liebesleid
Slavonic Dance In E Minor, Op.46, No.2
Tempo Di Minuetto (In The Style Of Pugnani)
Romanza Andaluza, Op.22
Melodie
Serenade Espagnole
Serenade (Frasquita)
La Capricieuse, Op.17
Sicilienne
Molly On The Shore
Andantino (In The Style Of Martini)
Marguerite (Daisies), Op.38, No.3
Melodie, Op.42 No.3
Estrellita
Spanish Dance No.5
Berceuse Sfaradite
Caprice In A Minor

Customer Reviews:

Marvellous!.......2005-11-26

I don't play violin, and I can't even read music, but as a classical music amateur I find this CD outstanding. Even an incompetent like myself can easily understand why Perlman is regarded as one of the greates violinists ever. This is a marvellous collection of pieces. The rendition of "Chanson Russe" by itself is, in my opinion, worth more than the price of the CD. If you listen to the audio samples on Amazon's pages and you like violin you will surely understand why I like this CD so much. I am grateful to People like Perlman, who make this world a better place to live in.

The best violinist ever!.......2001-01-26

All I can say to this CD is it's the best I've ever heard. In this CD, Itzhak Perlman truly demonstrates his best performances of the past years. I have always been a great admirer of Perlman, but since I own this CD, it's all I've listened to for the past three months. I myself play the violin and Perlman has become an inspiration to me, almost a musical idol. For any of those violinists out there, especially young musicians, who don't feel any excitement about playing the violin, listen to this CD and I promise you, you will strive to being able to play like this man does. He is truly the best musician I've ever known.

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Petrouchka/ Le Sacre du Printemps

Average customer rating:

the best.
Najinsky who?!
Hermann and Stravinsky
Powerful rendition
From the Master

Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Petrouchka/ Le Sacre du Printemps

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B0000026GJ
Release Date: 1990-10-25

Tracks:

Petrushka - Tableau I: The Shrove -Tide Fair: Beginning
Petrushka - Tableau I: The Shrove-Tide Fair: The Crowds
Petrushka - Tableau I: The Shrove-Tide Fair: The Charlatan's Booth
Petrushka - Tableau I: The Shrove-Tide Fair: Russian Dance
Petrushka: Tableau II: Petrushka's Room
Petrushka - Tableau III: The Moor's Room: Beginning
Petrushka - Tableau III: The Moor's Room: Dance Of The Ballerina
Petrushka - Tableau III: The Moor's Room: Waltz (Ballerina and Moor)
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove - Tide Fair (Near Evening): Beginning
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove - Tide Fair (Near Evening): Dance Of The Nursemaids
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove-Tide Fair (Near Evening): Dance Of The Peasant And The Bear
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove-Tide Fair (Near Evening): Petrushka - Dance Of The Gypsy Girls
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove -Tide Fair (Near Evening): Dance Of The Coachmen and Grooms
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove - Tide Fair (Near Evening): The Masqueraders
Petrushka - Tableau IV: The Shrove-Tide Fair (Near Evening): Conclusion (Petrushka's Death)
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Introduction
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I. The Adoration Of the Earth: Dances of the Young Girls
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Mock Abduction
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Spring Round Dance
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Games of the Rival Tribes
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Procession Of The Wise Elder
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring: Adoration Of The Earth (The Wise Elder)
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part I: The Adoration Of The Earth: Dance Of The Earth
Le Sacre Du Printemps -The Rite Of Spring - Part II: The Sacrifice: Introduction
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part II: The Sacrifice: Mystical Circles Of The Young Girls
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring _ Part II: The Sacrifice: Glorification Of The Chosen Victim
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part II: The Sacrifice: Summoning Of The Ancients
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part II: The Sacrifice: Ritual Of The Ancients
Le Sacre Du Printemps - The Rite Of Spring - Part II: The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance

Amazon.com

Whatever the limitations of Stravinsky's baton technique, no one else on disc conjures the same bustling excitement at the outset of Petrouchka. Overlapping, polyrhythmic textures in Petrouchka and in Le Sacre du Printemps come off with Mozartian lucidity, Mendelssonian lightness, and, well, Stravinsky-esque rhythmic exactitude (notwithstanding a few hesitant entrances). The clarity partly stems from the composer's use of his leaner revised scores, helped by close-up, analytical mike work by CBS. There are, of course, slicker, more sonically opulent versions of these 20th century landmarks. And then there are Stravinsky's. --Jed Distler

Customer Reviews:

the best........2007-07-23

i think when the opportunity comes to hear music in exactly the way the author meant it to be heard is a rare gift. with stravinsky himself conducting, his work here is as perfect as it can ever be performed. the Rite of Spring is one of the most important works, i dare say, EVER. Listen with focus and stravinsky's genius is obvious.

Najinsky who?!.......2007-03-09

Nobody does Mr. S like Mr. S. These albums that came out on Columbia are still the ultimate. Why would anyone else bother to try to match the master? This guy was a freaking genius, for goodness sake. You other guys get a life.

Hermann and Stravinsky.......2006-10-10

I hadn't listened to Le Sacre du Printemps in a couple of decades. This recording was like hearing it for the first time.

With nothing to add to the other reviews, I just want to note that when I got to "Harbingers of Spring (Dances of the Young Girls and Boys)," I was struck by the similarity between parts of it and Bernard Hermann's soundtrack for Psycho. One more example of how mid-century US film and and television scoring was influenced by late-19th and early 20th century composers (listen to Debussy's Images in this context).

Powerful rendition.......2004-10-08

This version of the Rite of Spring, is quite simply one of the best versions out there. Stravinsky summons the raw, primitive power, and emotional intensity of this work, and gives it a fresh, almost light touch, very different from other versions of this work. The Petruska is also very good, but Stravinsky tends to take everything at a slightly too quick pace.
(Note for Robert Lewis: very few people interested in classical music would be ignorant enough to attempt to nap to the Rite of Spring, one of the most violent works ever written.)

From the Master.......2004-03-29

I had the great good fortune to attend a concert of Stravinsky's music partially conducted by Stravinsky himself in Beverly Hills, CA. I don't remember the exact year, but it would have been in the late '60s. In other words, just a few years before his passing.
He shared conducting duties with his long-time associate, Robert Craft.

Because of his obvious age and frailty, it was expected he would sort of ceremoniously conduct one or perhaps two of his shorter works, leaving the bulk of the concert to Craft. Imagine my, and the audience's astonishment when we saw in the program that Maestro Stravinsky would be the conductor for several works, culminating in the concluding work on the program, "Le Sacre du printemps".

When the time came for "Le Sacre", the maestro, assisted and with some difficulty, made his way to the podium, at which he, not surprisingly, sat. He gazed at the score for a long moment. Slowly, his gaze rose from the score to his orchestra, which he observed for a few seconds, which seemed like hours. The audience grew silent with expectation. Slowly, deliberately, he raised his baton. And it began. What followed for the next 30 plus minutes was one of the most electrifying, galvanizing, and thrilling performances of anything I have ever seen or heard in my life, before or since.

After the concert I made it a point to chat with several friends of mine who were in the orchetra. I suggested that the orchestra must have been well prepared by Robert Craft so that Maestro Stravinsky would be better able to conserve his energy. To a man (and woman) they assured me that absolutely the opposite was the case. The portions of the concert, including "Le Sacre" that Stravinsky was to conduct were rehearsed, in total, by Stravinsky himself. In addition, Stravinsky attended the rehearsals for the balance of the program and had no problem contributing whatever he felt was necessary to the procedings. They also found him to be extremely alert and utterly charming.

How can I recommend anyone else's performance of "Le Sacre du printemps"? There is only one, and this is it.

Stravinsky By Stravinsky [Germany]
Average customer rating:
Stravinsky By Stravinsky [Germany]
Igor Stravinsky
Manufacturer: Sony Classical
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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ASIN: B000PTYUQG
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Album Details

2007 Issue of 22 CDs Filled with the Works of the Great Composer Drawn from the Vaults of Columbia Records.

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (1919)

Average customer rating:

Three Le Sacres from Bernstein
WOW.
Commonplace "Rite"... and a TERRIFIC "Firebird"

Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (1919)

Manufacturer: Sony
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Stravinsky: Rite Of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka / Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Chicago Symphony

ASIN: B0001ENYLM
Release Date: 2004-02-24

Tracks:

Introduction. Lento - London Symphony Orchestra
The Spring Divinations - Dances Of The Young Girls - London Symphony Orchestra
Mock Abduction - London Symphony Orchestra
Spring Round Dances - London Symphony Orchestra
Games Of The Rival Tribes - London Symphony Orchestra
Procession Of The Wise Elder - London Symphony Orchestra
Dance Of The Earth - London Symphony Orchestra
Introduction. Largo - London Symphony Orchestra
Mystical Circles Of The Young Girls - London Symphony Orchestra
Glorification Of The Chosen Victim - London Symphony Orchestra
Summoning Of The Ancestors - London Symphony Orchestra
Ritual Of The Ancestors - London Symphony Orchestra
Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen Victim) - London Symphony Orchestra
Introduction - Leonard Bernstein
The Firebird And Its Dance - Leonard Bernstein
Variation Of The Firebird - Leonard Bernstein
The Princesses' Round - Leonard Bernstein
Infernal Dance Of King Kashchei - Leonard Bernstein
Lullaby - Leonard Bernstein
Finale - Leonard Bernstein
I. Adoration Of Veles And Ala - Leonard Bernstein
II. The Enemy God And The Dance Of The Black Spirits - Leonard Bernstein
III. Night - Leonard Bernstein
IV. The Glorious Departure Of Lolli And The Procession Of The Sun - Leonard Bernstein

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:

Three Le Sacres from Bernstein.......2005-10-01

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," 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 the 1958 version as the more flexible and less blatant. Both are wonderful and show off Bernstein's exuberance at its best.

This is the second reading from 1972, now in stereo, the 1958 being out of print. 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.

WOW........2005-09-13

This recording really is something. Considering how old this rendition is, the depth at which bernstein controls the LSO is remarkable. There are moments when he lets the LSO loose, like letting the animals come out of their cages. He knows exactly how and exactly when to create, what I can only describe as "chaos". Bernstein's love for this arresting piece shines through the second half.
I only complain of the sound quality and the firebird. It is NOT A GOOD FIREBIRD.

BUY IT

Commonplace "Rite"... and a TERRIFIC "Firebird".......2005-07-26

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?

Average customer rating:

Elegance and precision
Did not buy this item
Mysterious, magical, and a little bit maudlin
Hypnotically Beautiful
THE ART OF THE THEREMIN

The Art Of The Theremin
Manuel de Falla , Alexander Konstantinovich Glazunov , and Henryk Wieniawski
Manufacturer: Delos Records
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

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Glass Harmonica

ASIN: B0000006U6
Release Date: 1992-12-14

Tracks:

Vocalise
Song Of Grusia
The Swan
Pantomime
Hebrew Melody
Romance
Berceuse
Piece en forme de Habanera
Berceuse
Valse sentimentale
Serenade melancolique
Chant du menestrel

Customer Reviews:

Elegance and precision.......2007-06-30

The theramin is, without question, the most difficult instrument in the world to play. Consider: since its invention in 1928 and commercial release in the early 1930s, only one musician - Clara Rockmore - has been able to produce any real music on it. Her performances are spellbinding and, if one sometimes years for, say, a whole sonata or something more substantial than encore pieces, think of how difficult it is to play ANYTHING on this instrument and be glad that we at least have this much.

A one-of-a-kind disc of a one-of-a-kind performer. If you like the samples you can hear on this site. by all means buy it.

Did not buy this item.......2007-05-03

Don't know why this is here as I never purchased this item.

Mysterious, magical, and a little bit maudlin.......2007-03-08

I recently went through a theremin phase after seeing the documetary "Theremin: An Electronic Oddysey" which featured Clara Rockmore prominently. That led me to buy this recording, which seems to be the traditional standard of classical theremin artistry. The story around the instrument is even more bizzare than the music it makes: spooky Cold-War intrigue, sudden disappearances in New York and the USSR, spy gadgets, dead men found alive, old friends reuniting after decades of separation and obscurity... it all fits the eerie ethos of the music. So to really "get" the instrument, you need to know the story behind it. That's the maudlin part.

While the rest of my family violently disagrees, this is indeed lovely music. A careful listening to Mrs. Rockmore's technique reveals, I think, that she's fascinatingly far beyond waving her hands up and down in front of antennas. She makes glissandos and runs happen with discrete pitches in a way that is hard for me to picture on an instrument that can generate any pitch, and every pitch in between. She developed a way to "finger" an instrument you don't touch. That's why it's magical.

A note on the recording: the timbre of the theremin seems to land in a resonant frequency range on most systems/speakers on which I have listened to this recording, leading to the solo instrument badly overbalancing the piano accompaniment.

PS: I have given on someday owning a theremin. Phase over.

Hypnotically Beautiful.......2007-02-28

Classical music, and specifically Theremin music, is not normally my favored listening. But I took a chance on this disc and am very glad I did. Clara Rockmore's mastery of her instrument is astonishing. The music is tastefully chosen and very beautiful. She often mimics violin or human voice in her phrasing, but subtly gives the theremin its own voice and proves its suitability for classical.

I knocked a star off for the lack of arrangement-diversity, but I have to admit that I usually listen to this disc from start to end. Its lyrical qualities are very transfixing and hypnotic. A welcome diversification to my music collection!

THE ART OF THE THEREMIN.......2007-02-24

I HAVE HAD THIS CD FOR YEARS AND HAVE NEVER GOTTEN TIRED OF HEARING IT, ALTHOUGH YOU HAVE TO BE IN THE RIGHT MOOD TO REALLY APPRECIATE WHAT YOU ARE HEARING. THIS IS THE PREEMINENT THERMEIN RECORDING, BY THE PREEMINENT THEREMIN PERFORMER, CLARA ROCKMORE. HAUNTING, STRANGE, HYPNOTIC, YET MELODICAL, THE THERMEIN IS A VERY DIFFICULT INSTRUMENT TO PLAY, AND CLARA ROCKMORE WAS THE ONLY PERSON TO EVER REALLY "MASTER" IT. IF YOU WANT TO HEAR THEREMIN MUSIC, I GUESS THIS IS THE ONE CD YOU NEED TO GET.

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