Thread: Best recording of Le Sacre du Printemps?

Originally Posted by bassClef

You should still try some other versions of the Rite if you can - while this account is good, it's perhaps a bit too cold and clinical in it's execution - while that may be to your taste, I prefer it to be raw and wild.

You're absolutely right, it is obviously a romantically inclined work, but maybe the way Boulez goes about it is in retrospect to later Stravinsky somehow?

I'm sure you probably already know this, but there is a Sony Stravinsky boxset of historical recordings that is unbelievably affordable, I've been considering it for a good while now.

Originally Posted by Clovis

You're absolutely right, it is obviously a romantically inclined work, but maybe the way Boulez goes about it is in retrospect to later Stravinsky somehow?

I'm sure you probably already know this, but there is a Sony Stravinsky boxset of historical recordings that is unbelievably affordable, I've been considering it for a good while now.

Yeah I got that a while back at the ridiculous price of £22 for 22 CDs - I don't know how anyone couldn't be tempted by that!

A recent find, among my absolute favourites:

- Ormandy,Philadelphia Orchestra (1955)

perhaps the most temperamental I´ve ever heard.

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Originally Posted by Clovis

Attachment 8186

This was always one of my favorite pieces growing up. Once I'd found this recording of Petrouchka and Le Sacre I stopped wanting any other recordings of either work. Boulez in almost all cases is sort of the definition of percision. Also a huge fan of his older DG recording of Ebony Concerto.

Have you tried the Sony?

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Originally Posted by Vaneyes

Have you tried the Sony?

51u9Lm3eOtL._SL500_AA300_.jpg

No, I have not. The versions I'd heard before the Boulez/DG are the Ozawa/Chicago/RCA and also a Bernstein recording paired with Pictures/Mussorgsky on discount DG 'Musikfest' cd. I also had a cassette tape with Charles Munch conducting the work, all I remember is how incredibly slow it was, whether it was simply a warped tape or the conductor used abnormally slow tempi, I don't know.

I used to have a vinyl recording of the Rite by the Minneapolis Orchestra with Dorati on Fontana Special. I remember it having no tam-tam

Rite 1.jpeg

I now have this recording by the little known combo of the Plovdiv Philharmonic under Dobrin Petkov and I have to say it's really rather good!

Rite 2.jpg

I haven't looked through all the pages on this thread, but, of the ones I saw, the recording I currently own hasn't been mentioned:



Riccardo Muti with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I've been listening to many of the selections here (Bernstein/Tilson-Thomas/Dutoit/Salonen/Gergiev/Davis), and I think it succeeds in being more brutal than any of these, but you'll have to tell me if you think otherwise. At the moment, the contender I'm considering is Ozawa.

oopsy...

the cassette tape was actually Pierre Monteux, not Charles Munch.

Originally Posted by Mephistopheles

I haven't looked through all the pages on this thread, but, of the ones I saw, the recording I currently own hasn't been mentioned:



Riccardo Muti with the Philadelphia Orchestra. I've been listening to many of the selections here (Bernstein/Tilson-Thomas/Dutoit/Salonen/Gergiev/Davis), and I think it succeeds in being more brutal than any of these, but you'll have to tell me if you think otherwise. At the moment, the contender I'm considering is Ozawa.

I share your Muti "Le Sacre" enthusiasm, I mentioned it in Post #81. Excellent remastering. Not to be missed.

Originally Posted by Clovis

oopsy...

the cassette tape was actually Pierre Monteux, not Charles Munch.

Monteaux gave the first performance of the Rite as he did Petrushka and therefore worked closely with Stravinsky.
The thing to remember is that this is a ballet and certainly in the case of my favourite version--Dorati--nobody would be able to keep up with it.
Tecniquest, please note that those Fontana Specials crushed the magnificent Mercury recordings. When they were reissued on CD they emerged in their former glory.
The Stravinsky conducted recordings are available,how do they compare for speed---no doubt he had some idea of how he wanted things to go ?

Well, let's get over it with this one:

100.jpg

http://tower.jp/item/tracks/3158578

Happy now?

Originally Posted by powerbooks

Well, let's get over it with this one:

100.jpg

http://tower.jp/item/tracks/3158578

Happy now?

20 CDs, containing way too many "Rites".

http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/sin...sentation=flow

Originally Posted by Vaneyes

20 CDs, containing way too many "Rites".

http://www.deccaclassics.com/cat/sin...sentation=flow

Yeah, 38 "rites", but still do not cover nearly half of those mentioned here, because these are only from Universal!

I have three versions. None are very common it would appear:

1) Rene Liebowitz, London Festival Orchestra (Mono LP)
2) Ricardo Muti, Philadelphia Orchestra (LP)
3) Kent Nagano, London Philharmonic Orchestra


The first is a treasure; there can be no more atmospheric opening to a piece of music than the opening bassoon solo just rising above the crackles and pops. I have never reacted to a piece of music like I did to this on my first playing of it several decades ago.

Muti was a considerable disappointment. It cost me deep in the purse, but it had none of the atmospheric qualities of the former. Indeed, this album put me off from buying multiple copies of the same piece for many years. It has proven to be one of my worst ever purchases of music.

It is fine to have Nagano's modern digital version. Such was the power of the drums in the final section, it sounded like the London Blitz was happening over again.

I heard a Youth Orchestra attempt this work some years ago on the radio, but it fell apart toward the end.

My best version by some margin is that of Liebowitz.

Boulez on SONY/CBS is my over all favourite, also like Salonens DG version with Philahrmonia (musch more than his recent LAPO version), but still have to say that Igor Markevich both 50's (Mono/Stereo on HMV/Testament) versions with the Philharmonia still makes me rather elated in a amazing way!

/ptr