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 stravinky Dec 03, 2009
I just recently started listening to stravinsky and from the first notes i melted. It spoke to me on a deep level that almost made me cry I would recommend this to everyone.
2 of 2 found the following review helpful:
Still One Of The Top Readings of "The Rite of Spring" Sep 13, 2009
Leonard Bernstein turns an absolutely scorching reading of "The Rite of Spring" in this recording for Sony. What this reading manages to do is leave the listener on the edge of his/her chair anticipating the next phrase. It's savage, it's brutal, it's completely raw, this is where Bernstein excelled in my opinion. This is "The Rite.." with a kind of high-octane engine. The London Symphony Orchestra should be commended for their performance. It will leave you breathless.
The other selections Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite" are also fantastic performances, but it's "The Rite" that steals the show here. I still return to this one and I own most of them: Chailly, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Dutoit, Ansermet, Boulez, Salonen, and Stravinsky's own conducting performance. Highly recommended.
Truly Fantastic! Aug 16, 2009
Stravinsky's Rite of Spring is a incredibly challenging piece of music to play, and takes a truly skilled conductor and orchestra to perform it. Trust me-I have the score to this and the music is unbelievably hard to play and constantly changes key signature. One measure is in 3/16, then the next is in 5/16, then back to 3/16. I couldn't even imagining trying to conduct or perform this work. Like I said before, this takes a truly skilled conductor and orchestra to perform this work, and Bernstein and the London Symphony fit that description perfectly. This amazing work sounds just excellent. I do have to give some attention, though, to that ridiculous bassoon solo that starts out the work.(The Bassoon can only play 2 notes higher than that beginning note, so it is very challenging to play.)The rest of this work is just unbelievably amazing! -I could go on forever raving about how great this sounds! The other works on this disc - The Firebird Suite & Prokofiev's Scythian Suite, sound just amazing also. So, in conclusion, this is the best performance of The Rite of Spring, and if your interested in buying this disc - don't hesitate because it is amazing!
The score I mentioned - here's the link The Rite of Spring (Dover Miniature Scores) - If your a big fan of this work like I am you should buy this score. It a very different experience when you're actually following along with the music.
My first classical album Feb 05, 2009
Up until now, I had never owned a classical album, or ever been interested in one. But a few days before I got this amazing album, I noticed that the "Finale" of "The Firebird Suite" served as an introduction to one of my favorite live album, Yes's "Yessongs". I thought that the song was great, so I started looking more into Stravinsky, and ultimately found this album.
The sound quality is astoundingly good, considering that "The Firebird Suite" was recorded in 1957, "Scythian Suite" in 1964, and "The Rite of Spring" in 1972. All of the songs were great, but the surprise for me was the bonus song, "Scythian Suite". At many points in the song, it is actually more intense than Stravinsky's songs.
Overall, this is a great album, especially if this is the first classical album you are looking into.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
BEAUTIFUL! Nov 03, 2008
I bought this orginally because someone told me there was a bassoon solo in the begining. As that is my main instrument, I HAD to hear it for myself. It is beautiful and lovely. The composer and the musicians bring forth the emotions and paint a beautiful picture. Just close your eyes and you can envision what they are trying to convey! I love it!
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