FORUMS
Springtime is upon us and that means it's time to listen once again to Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring". What is/are your favorite version(s) of this classic piece about rebirth and renewal?
One of mine is Leonard Bernstein's 1972 London Symphony Orchestra recording on Columbia which I own on a non-Quadrophonic ordinary stereo LP.
Any suggestions for DVD-Audio, SACD, or DVD (with DTS soundtracks) discs would be most helpful.
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I don't have a high-rez digital recco, but there are a few LPs you should look out for. My all-time fave is Boulez/Cleveland on Columbia. CBS did a half-speed master on this, but it sacrifices bass for better highs (inherent in the half-speed process, unfortunately). (BTW, Stravinsky liked this one, too.) At one point, the CD version of this paired it with Boulez's stunning Petrouchka, but it was no match for the LP sonically, IMO.Stravinsky's own version with the Columbia house band is pretty good. Not real showy, but greater variation in rythm, which, after all is what SdP is all about.
A lot of folks are huge fans of Solti/Chicago, but I've always felt it lacked drama.
Thanks for the recommendations and for reminding me that I should have included vinyl in my list of formats (DUH!!). I'll put them both on my short list.
I just picked up the Michael Tilson Thomas/San Francisco Symphony rendition RCA CD from 1996 which runs about 34 minutes and sounds pretty good. It's part of three disc set along with The Firebird and Pers
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I don't have a high-rez digital recco,
D'oh! That was me.
The best version I
I'm not sure whether or not I like it best of those in my collection, but Gergiev/Kirov/Philips is loud, relentless, and brutal. Which is what the ballet is all about - brutality. Hurwitz in Classics Today loathed it, but it claims a lot of my attention.
Other than that I find myself drawn to the Mackerras/London Philharmonic/EMI Eminence issue.
Hi, Jazzfan -- I have the Telarc (Maazel and the Cleveland) and Sony (Szell with the COLUMBIA, of all heresies!!), both on SACD. Maazel's is the more exciting -- I can't help but think Szell conducting his own boys and girls might have produced a transcendent version, but if he did this piece with his own orchestra, I don't know of any recordings of it. On LP, I have Haitink with the LPO. This one, for me, is the best sonically AND in terms of edge-of-the-seat dynamics and fire. The SACD version with Maazel has the added bonus of a superb reading of the Tchaikovsky 4th and, of course, that incredible Telarc bass. I haven't heard the others mentioned here, so I shall remain mute on those. Rock on? Hell, RUT on!! Cheers, Clifton.
BIS-SACD-1474
Total Time: 69'00 – Release: Feb 2011
EAN 7318599914749
http://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-15915/
Stravinsky: Petrushka; Rite of Spring/Litton SACD
Artistic Quality: 10
Sound Quality: 10
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