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 Stravinsky essential recording. Sep 28, 2009
What Boulez did here is a matter of miracle. His "Sacre du Printemps"
is the Best ever!! I admire his sense for detail and wonderful balance.
Don't confuss with Boulez DG latter recording with the same ensemble that
is less satisfactory. Boulez Petrouchka with NYP is also awesome. Buy
with confidence.
8 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Great sound and performances from a 20th-21st century conductor/composer of another 20th century composer Sep 19, 2005
Pierre Boulez leads brilliant, blistering performances of 2 of Stravinsky's famous ballets, "Petrouchka" (1911) and "The Rite of Spring" (1913). The New York Philharmonic recording of "Petrouchka" (recorded in 1971) has moderate tempos in many places, and Boulez is nicely nuanced where needed. Stravinsky's colorful orchestration is always apparent, and Boulez lets the music speak for itself: the elements of cruelty and grotesquery are always obvious in Stravinsky's score of a somewhat disturbed plot, written just a few years prior to World War I, a time of political and social upheaval and instability. This is a fascinating recording, and I've heard many: Ormandy (Sony), Bernstein/New York (CBS), Dutoit/London Symphony (DG), Ansermet (Decca), Rahbari (Naxos), Craft (Naxos), Monteux/Paris Conservatoire (London LP), and Stravinsky/Columbia Symphony (CBS). Boulez tends to be clinical in parts of the score, and Stravinsky can take it. Very fine recording.
"Le Sacre du Printemps" (the rite of spring) recorded in 1969 with the Cleveland Orchestra, is also excellent. Boulez keeps the motion and momentum going throughout the Part I and II, up to the "sacrificial dance" (final movement) - where he takes a tempo which is slower than usual. Boulez's tempo is not too slow, nor does it drag, but it is slower than Bernstein/New York (Columbia LP), Ancerl (Supraphon), Abbado/London (DG), or Mehta/New York (Sony).
Sound in both recordings is excellent, better than many DDD recordings made in the past 15 years. Highly recommended, as a souvenir of one great conductor/composer interpreting another.
10 of 11 found the following review helpful:
Exceptional Performances Aug 06, 2005
Pierre Boulez, according to some, is known for being too analytical and quite dry in just about everything he does. The recordings come out as meticulously well-played and quite clear, but atmospherically and musically bland. However, I believe there are exceptions: this recording of two of Stravinsky's warhorses is one of them.
Beginning with Petrouchka, Boulez's reputation for making an ensemble play virtuosically and with great clarity is proven. Even while someone may have complained about there not being equal treatment in recording balance, I got the feeling that it sounded more like sitting in an orchestra hall. The soloists play their hearts out (as does the rest of the orchestra) and I have not found anything to complain about.
The excitement of Petrouchka ends and I feel myself begging for more excellent music, and to my relief, Rite of Spring begins with that eerie bassoon solo. I got to thinking that if the beginning solo was any indication of what was to come from the rest of the orchestra on this masterpiece, I was in for a ride I didn't want to get off. The colors and timbre the orchestra put forth and the blend just blew me away. I could feel the terror of this music and it was ingratiating.
Sonics on this recording are top notch and have been since its 'silver disc' debut 11 years ago. So with the quality of sound and quality of performance adding up to top notch, my conclusion is get it and don't regret it. At the price Amazon offers it for, it's a STEAL.
0 of 7 found the following review helpful:
So you want to start listening to classical music.... Jul 18, 2004
This is a pretty good place to start for neophytes. Stravinsky was ahead of much of the pack and at the same time never really dove completely into 12-tone, and these two are his definitive works. Plus, you can always count on Boulez to give a straightforward reading of anything he's involved with.
20 of 25 found the following review helpful:
 Unbeatable value, but only one of many Dec 04, 2003
The Rite of Spring is easily one of the most significant pieces of music ever written. Every time I hear a radio station having a listeners' poll of "best pieces of classical music," the Rite is always among the top 5. Though the piece can be challenging for those who have never heard Stravinsky, it's a profound piece that yields more enjoyment with each listen (so the first hundred listens are certainly in the "learning" stage). Among the recordings out there, each accentuates different aspects of the complexity of Stravinsky's score, and a good handful are worth having. Some are noteworthy for their sheer force, while others for their clarity and refinement. This one, an earlier recording of Cleveland under Boulez, is a nice balance of precision and force. Compared to others, it can seem uninteresting, though. At a budget price, however, it certainly provides return for the dollar. Boston under Ozawa (Reference) is a much more forceful and exact performance, and is also sold at a budget price. Most of the best recordings are still at full price. Boulez has changed drastically in the last 2 decades--now he is less dogmatic, more flexible, and better liked by orchestra players. Since recording quality has also made great strides, the recent recording of Petrouchka and the Rite with Cleveland under Boulez is hard to pass up. The Petrouchka is especially charming. It is only about $3 more, and every bit worth it. For sheer force, I have always preferred Saint Louis under Leonard Slatkin, though this may be out of print. For precision, the recent recording of San Francisco under Tilson Thomas cannot be beat. Comparable to the 1969 Boulez/Cleveland, Karajan's with the Berlin Philharmonic is also a classic, notable for its consistency and depth of musicianship, though Karajan audibly struggles with his orchestra at times (I always found this to add "drama" to the work). For recording quality, perhaps the best is Minnesota under Oue, which is also an amazingly clear and exact reading, but perhaps reserved. In sum, the 1969 Boulez recording is a classic recording for a budget price, but I'd probably go for the Ozawa for the same price. In any event, Tilson Thomas's is amazing and worth every dollar at full price, and Boulez's more recent one is also good.
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