Stravinsky: Petrushka; Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

On this CD:

1. Petrushka, ballet (burlesque) in 4 scenes for orchestra (1947 version)
Composed by Igor Stravinsky
Performed by Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Yuri Temirkanov

2. The Creation of the World, suite from the ballet, Nos 1-4, complete
Composed by Andrey Pavlovich Petrov
Performed by Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Yuri Temirkanov

3. Daphnis et Chloé, suite No. 2 for orchestra Suite, No 02
Composed by Maurice Ravel
Performed by Leningrad Philharmonic Orchestra
Conducted by Yuri Temirkanov

Tracks:

Opening Remarks
'Aus Liebe'- St. Mathew Passion
'Domine Deus'- Mass In b
Sym No.3
Sym No.4
Leonore No.3
Entr'acte From Carmen
Menuet From L'Arlesienne
Sym No.1
Sym No.4
Afternoon Of A Faun
Sym No.8
Menuet & Dance From Orpheus
Sym Metamorphoses
Midsummer Night's Dream
Classical Sym
Peter And The Wolf
Bolero
Daphnis Et Chloe'
Russian Easter Ov
Capriccio Espagnol
William Tell Ov
Carnival Of The Animals
Salome
Petrouchka
Chant Du Rossignol
Sym No.4
Closing Remarks

Customer Reviews:

A great companion to the book.......2000-10-28

I own the book of the same title of excerpts, though expensive it was worth it. I was considering not buying this CD since I have recording of the pieces anyway but I am glad I did. Not only is it convienient to have all the excerpts on once CD but Jeanne has a wonderful clear sound makes this a joy to listen to. Having it isolated to better hear what she is talking about is immensely helpful. It's not a fun to listen to recording, it is meant for study, but if you are a flutist learning your major orchestral solos it is just as good as having your teacher walk you through the piece. Perhaps more helpful as a second view is always good to know.

Stravinsky: Petrushka; Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

Average customer rating:

One of the most thrilling Petrushka readings
WOW!!

Stravinsky: Petrushka; Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

Manufacturer: RCA
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

Ballets | Ballets & Dances | Classical | Styles | Music

Suites | Forms & Genres | Classical | Styles | Music

General | Classical | Styles | Music

Classical Music | The Sony BMG Masterworks Store | Amazon.com Label Stores | Stores | Music
ASIN: B000003ETG
Release Date: 1996-03-26

Tracks:

Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 1: The Shrove-Tide Fair
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 1: Focus
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 1:Russian Dance
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 2:Petrouchka At Home
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 3: The Moor At Home
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 3: Dance Of The Ballerina
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 3: Waltz (Ballerina And The Moor)
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: The Shrove-Tide Fair (Near Evening)
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Dance Of The Wet Nurses
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Dance Of The Peasant And The Bear
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Dance Of The Gypsy Girls
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Dance Of The Coachmen And Grooms
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: The Masqueraders
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Entrance Of Petrouchka Followed Bye The Moor
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Petrouchka's Death
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: The Guard And The Juggler
Petrouchka (Burlesque In Four Scenes): Scene 4: Apparition Of Petrouchka's Double
The Creation Of The World: Chaos And Satan
The Creation Of The World: The Dance Of The Angels
The Creation Of The World: Hymn Of Eve
The Creation Of The World: The Creation
Daphnis Et Cloe: Ste No.2: Daybreak
Daphnis Et Cloe: Ste No.2: Pantomine
Daphnis Et Cloe: Ste No.2:

Customer Reviews:

One of the most thrilling Petrushka readings.......2005-09-18

Nobody ever really does a bad Petrushka these days, but this one is simply spectacular. It's very Russian, meaning almost driven and without fussy refinements. The setting is rustic, folk-inpsired, not downtown Moscow. Temirkanov gets the orchestra to remain on fire from beginning to end, and although this style of super-dramatized Stravinsky wasn't at all what the composer favored, I can't imagine living without this performance. Excellent sonics, highlighting everything, but a bit bright in the upper ranges, especially a loud volume. The daphnis and chlore Suite was not of great interest to me, but Temirkanov is direct and rather plain compared to overly fussy readings that take us to erotic fairyland. In all, this is the most galvanic Stravinsky recording in quite a while, in my experience.

WOW!!.......2001-07-28

It's odd that the listing for this disc mentions Ravel's music first (seeming, in fact, to imply that Daphnis was written by Stravinsky!), because far and away the main reason to own it is for the electrifying 1974 rendition of Stravinsky's Petrushka, a performance and a recording that have never been surpassed.

You'll swear that each and every member of the Leningrad Philharmonic had a whole pot of strong coffee just prior to sitting down to make this recording, but the overcaffinated playing wouldn't mean much if it were just aimlessly frenetic. Yuri Temirkanov keeps a firm grip on his outstanding ensemble and on the "line" of this masterwork, such that where some moments have the thrilling feel of a headlong rush that may just end in disaster (but doesn't), others unfold with unhurried beauty. Truthfully this type of performance will simply be too bracing for the tastes of some, but I like my Russian music articulated with a strong Russian accent, and this orchestra understands Stravinsky's idiom and temperament as a matter of instinct, because - like him - they were born to it.

For an early-1970s Soviet recording the audio engineering is exceptional - mostly quite clean and clear, if not as full-bodied as Western recordings of a comparable vintage. And again, the sound, like the performance, will simply be too brittle for some ears. For me, both are entirely in keeping with the spirit of early Stravinsky.

Regretably the other contents of this disc do not come nearly as highly recommended. What makes Stravinsky great here is not as kind to Ravel; many versions of the Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 are preferable to this one. And the Petrov work, I'm sorry to say, is simply undistinguished; it does not deserve to reside in this company.

Tracks:

Petrushka Suite: The Shrove-tide Fair
Petrushka Suite: The Crowds
Petrushka Suite: The Charlatan's Booth
Petrushka Suite: Russian Dance
Petrushka Suite: Petrushka's Room
Petrushka Suite: Dance Of The Ballerina
Petrushka Suite: Waltz (Ballerina & Moor)
Petrushka Suite: The Shrove-tide Fair (toward evening)
Petrushka Suite: Dance Of The Nursemaids
Petrushka Suite: Dance Of The Peasant And The Bear
Petrushka Suite: Dance Of The Gypsy Girls
Petrushka Suite: Dance Of The Coachmen And The Grooms
Petrushka Suite: The Masqueraders
The Firebird: Introductions
The Firebird: The Firebird And Its Dance
The Firebird: Variation Of The Firebird
The Firebird: Round Of The Princesses
The Firebird: Infernal Dance Of King Kastchei
The Firebird: Lullaby
The Firebird: Finale
Daphnis et Chloe - Suite No. 2: Daybreak
Daphnis et Chloe - Suite No. 2: Pantomine
Daphnis et Chloe - Suite No. 2: General Dance

Customer Reviews:

Firebird: one of the best in a crowded field.......2007-06-04

When I first got into classical music back in the late 1950s, I joined a record club called the Music Appreciation Records Society. They issued recordings on a periodic basis, with various orchestras and conductors, and also an analysis record with narration and recorded excerpts to help the listener delve more deeply into the music. In 1961 they issued Stravinsky's "Firebird" with George Szell (and an unnamed orchestra, although everybody knew it was the Cleveland); I bought it, and nearly wore it out with my old vinyl-grinder needle. This performance has been
re-issued on the Sony "Essential Classics" CD label, and to me, it remains the best "Firebird" ever issued. The atmosphere of the opening is spooky and ethereal; the Infernal Dance is hair-raising; and the pacing and buildup of the Finale is thrilling. Throw in reissues of "Petrouchka" and Ravel's Suite No. 2 from "Daphnis and Chloe", and you have over an hour of great music in remastered sound.

Best Recording of the Firebird Suite Ever! Buy it Now!.......2004-04-15

This recording of the Firebird Suite(1919)with George Szell and the Cleveland Orchestra is easily the greatest recording of this piece in history. Szell meticulously contains the orchestra in the ominous introduction and the ensuing flight and slow movement,making the beginning sound more menacing than any other recording and the slow parts absolutely beautiful. Then he lets the orchestra burst out in the Infernal Dance, hands down the most exciting Infernal Dance ever recorded,one that must be heard to be believed. Szell doesn't need to artificially speed up the tempo as the dance progresses to ratchet up false excitement;his steady tempos are just perfect and complement the virtuosity of this amazing orchestra, especially the brass.All but the most jaded will have their pulses pounding during this Infernal Dance.
(Go to classicstoday.com in the review of the recent Jarvi/Cincinnati Firebird on Telarc to see that they agree with my assessment of the Szell). The ensuing Lullaby is done beautifully and then Szell lets the orchestra rip loose again in the amazing Finale, which again doesn't resort to phony tempo increases to build excitement, but rather relies on the brilliant conducting of Szell and his unbelievable orchestra to create excitement. The Daphnis suite is one of the best I've heard and Ormandy's Petrouchka is flawless but the real treat here is the Firebird. Don't be tempted by the "hi-fi sound" of more recent recordings;sound can't compensate for performance quality. Even if you already own 100 recordings of this piece you must buy this one. The others will pale in comparison.

Life's too short for "solid" performances.......2002-08-24

Having heard good things about this interpretation, and normally liking Ormandy a lot, I was terribly disappointed in his 1964 Petrushka. The music very seldom "dances". The whole affair seems leaden (and, if you're up for that sort of Petrushka, you'd be better off with Klemperer's weighty but interesting account on Testament). "Bloated" is what I'd say about this one -- the Philadelphia virtuosos can't rescue it from Ormandy. One feels Ormandy probably only liked The Firebird of Stravinsky's compositions. The ugly spot-miking of the Columbia engineers doesn't help; it's terribly obtrusive. Good luck, too, with Szell's Firebird and Daphnis; I thought they were heartless.

Excellent.......2002-06-11

Stravinsky is one of the best composers of all time and this recording shows why. both suites, Petrushka and Firebird highlight stravinsky's strengths in composition, showing a light and pleasant side as well as a romantic side as well as a powerful and passionate side. this recording also gives us an excellent snippet of Ravel's Daphnis et Chloe.

Solid Performances in Every Way.......2001-03-20

These three performances of some of the 20th century's finest ballet scores are excellent, especially for the price. Ormandy's Petrushka perfectly balances the simplicity of the work's folk melodies with the frantic, macabre, atmosphere of the ballet's story. His slow tempos in several sections (The Shrovetide fair at the beginning for example), add a strength and bombast to the work that is lacking when it is hurried through. Szell's recording of the Firebird Suite is just as excellent. The Infernal Dance and Finale are particularly astounding, with the brasses of the Cleveland Orchestra tearing through the dance with energy and drive and putting majesty and triumph in the finale. Finally, there is the Daphnis et Chloe, which again is a solid performance. For the price of this CD and the excellence of the recordings, I highly recommend it.