Likes: My nomination goes to Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Ochestra. What are your favourites?
Best Recording of Le Sacre
My nomination goes to Antal Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony Ochestra. What are your favourites?
I like the composer conducting these works. I have the complete set on Sony
and love it.
When all else fails, listen to Thick as a Brick.
Markevitch/Philharmonia on HMV Mono (1954) or Testament Mono and Stereo (1959)!
/ptr
Je suis Charlie ~ I am a certified OrgaNut! (F.—I.W.)
Delicious Manager liked this post
Among those I´ve got (and of course now knowing them all in depth), I like in particular:
CD Muti,PhiladO/emi-unesco 01 dcl 707262
CD Salonen,NewPO/cbs sbk89894
cd Atherton,BBC Wales O/bbc mm135 (poor!)
LP Steinberg,PittsburghSO/capitol mono p8254 (poor!)
LP Stravinsky,ColSO/cbs 81 29244
LP Bernstein,NYPO/ph stereo sabl 835 505 ay
LP Dorati,MinneapSO/ph st 894 023zky
LP Dorati,MinneapSO/merc mono mg 50030 (Cover: George Maas)
LP Abbado,LSO/dg 2530 635 (Cover: Wandrey)
LP Dorati,DetroitSO/decca 82 sxdl 7548
LP Solti,Chicagoso/decca 74 særudg. Club parnas 64 667
LP Ansermet,SuissRom/decca mono LL 303
LP Markevich,PO/emi srg 1024
LP Svetlanov,USSR SO/mel c01303-04
LP Maazel,WPO/decca london 75 cs 6954
LP Boulez,ClevO/cbs 72807
LP Ancerl,CzechPO/sup 63 st 50487
LP Karajan,BPO/dg 138 920
LP Karajan,BPO/dg 77 2530 884
LP Dutoit,MontrealSO/decca 85 414 202-1
LP Boulez,ORTF/nonesuch st h71093
LP Wodiczko,PolRSO/muza sx 0520 (Cover:W.Grzybowska)
LP Ormandy,Philad/col mono ml 5030 (Cover: Doris Lee)
LP Bernstein,LSO/cbs 72 m31520 (Cover: David Hess)
LP Davis,CtGeb/ph 9500 323
The old mono Ormandy is probably my favourite. Skipped Goosens/Everest, which I found very poor.
Last edited by joen_cph; Aug-25-2013 at 09:46.
I am far from having listened to all versions available (in fact, I have really listened to only few), but Bernstein's with NYPO is hard to beat for me.
Best regards, Dr
HASTINGS: Why don't you get yourself some turned down collars, Poirot? They're much more the thing, you know.
POIROT: The turned down collar is the first sign of decay of the grey cells!
I'm surprised at your verdict re:Goossens because I think it's excellentOriginally Posted by joen_cph
I like the Dorati version but the speed is ridiculous and Stravinsky thought so as well.
This is a ballet and people have to dance to it.
Goossens gave the UK premiere with the composer and he was conductor at Diaghilev's Ballet Russes.
This is the third time this subject has been discussed in the last year.( at least).
Fools talk because they have to say something, wise men talk because they have something to say.
I also remember we had this talk about the Goosens before, Moody.
Stravinsky himself. A tremendously exciting performance.
^^^^
I have the box, but haven't listened to it yet. Will do!
Me too. The problem is that quite a bit of Stravinsky's music is simply not that listenable.
To whom? It is listenable, able to be listened to and enjoyed, if at least one person listens to it and enjoys it, right?
Well, I think Stravinsky produced masterpieces throughout his life.
Pilgrimage
I have had an interesting pilgrimage concerning Le Sacre.
A few years ago I heard Benjamin Zanders's interpretation of Le Sacre. He had discovered some piano rolls that Stravinsky prepare for Le Sacre. The tempos on the piano roll for the final sacrificial dance were much faster than the tempos used by most conductors, including Stravinsky. Mr. Zander thought that Stravinsky used the slower tempos when he conducter because the faster ones would be too difficult for most orchestras.
I recently saw two performances of the ballet which employed the original choreography that was reconstructed by Millicent Hodson, a dance historian. The performances were with the Joffrey and the Kirov. There is no way a ballerina could have executed the final dance at the faster tempo. As a result the Zander interpretation has fallen off the radar.
You Tube of the final dance with Beatriz Rodriguez and the Joffrey:
As far as the best recording? I have no idea. I only have five CD's in my collection and a few old LP's. I even have a wild transcription for concert band. (What can expect from a degenerate band junkie like me.)
I have seen two interesting live performances. One with Boulez conducting the Cleveland Symphony. Another was an open rehearsal with Gustavo Dudamel and the Bolivar Youth Orchestra. He was running the rehearsal for memory without the score.
I had performed the third bassoon part with Catholic University Orchestra about forty years ago. Le Sacre utilizes three bassoons, one fourth bassoon who doubles on contra and a contra bassoonist. They did not have enough bassoonist to cover the parts so they recruited some outside bassoonists to help out. All I remember is that it is one of the hardest works I have ever performed and the rhythms in the finale were next to impossible.
Last edited by arpeggio; Aug-25-2013 at 23:14. Reason: spelling & grammer
It is impossible to make anything foolproof because fools are so ingenious. And I am a very ingenious fellow
This is like La Ronde isn't it ?? Or groundhog day !I also remember we had this talk about the Goosens before, Moody.
Fools talk because they have to say something, wise men talk because they have something to say.
ptr liked this post
Fine, if that's what you think. But please review my comment in context. My comment that it is not listenable is my opinion. It therefore does not include everyone, just me, and anyone else who happens to agree. Even as your comment includes only you, and anyone else who might agree with you. That is opinion.
I believe the poster bassClef has specialized in collecting recordings of Sacre. Perhaps he has some new input here ... (Best recording of Le Sacre du Printemps?).
I got the Ancerl and Wodiczko recordings quite recently, following recommendations, and I like them both, but wouldn´t place them among the selected few.
Last edited by joen_cph; Aug-25-2013 at 23:44.
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