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1 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Craft's concept is off the mark Nov 23, 2008
Though I have not heard the rendition of "L'Histoire du Soldat" presented here, I can say that the "Symphonies of Wind Instruments" is lacking greatly. Though the recording quality is remarkable for the 1960's, Craft's interpretation is marginal at best. Surprising, as it was his interest in the "Symphonies" that initiated his close relationship with Stravinsky, and that Craft is also the keeper of original manuscripts AND was instrumental in assembling the first publication of the 1920 version of the score.
For my taste, the tempi are a bit slow, but from an objective point, none of the tempi are realized as indicated in the score. All of the tempi are related by a 1:2, 2:3, or 3:4 ratio, none of which are observed in this realization. Also, the high voices are over-balanced in places, overcompensating for the increased orchestral brilliance already inherent in the 1947 revision and destroying the blend of some sections.
If "L'Histoire" is also lacking as other reviews suggest, then this release is for the birds and you should look for these great masterworks elsewhere.
4 of 4 found the following review helpful:
A little less than meets the eye Aug 19, 2007
Sony's "undiscovered" Stravinsky isn't sizable. It consists of four minutes of music that was recorded in 1967 to fill out the composer's 1961 recording of the Suite from The Soldier's Tale. Although Stravinsky had his doubts about the current English version of Ramuz's whimsical fable, the new translation provided here is a clunker and lacks the charm of the original. Jeremy Irons is effective in a sober-sided way; his Devil is a raspy-voiced villain, far removed from the suave irony of Peter Ustinov's great portrayal for Markevitch on Philips. As for whether there should be three voices to comprise narrator, Devil, and soldier, it all depends on the talent of the performers -- Ustinov and Jean Cocteau are unforgettable for Markevitch, but the bigger cast led by Stokowski on Vanguard, with Darius Milhaud's widow as the narrator, is almost as entertaining.
As for the composer's interpretation, he was notably not a great conductor, but at least we get to hear his pointed, dry, almost acerbic style, which nobody has adopted since then except his acolyte Robert Craft. The freelance musicians form Los Angeles are excellent, more than compensating for the aged composer's fading podium skills, and the two fillers led by Craft are good, if nothing special. In all, I think this release is more a collector's curiosity than an important addition to the Stravinsky discography.
9 of 9 found the following review helpful:
 "New" Stravinsky Jun 03, 2007
After years of being lost in Sony's (formerly Columbia/CBS) vaults, Stravinsky's own version of The Soldier's Tale has finally been issued in complete form. The main body of the performance is from the already released Suite recorded in 1961, with bridge sections recorded in 1967. The spoken portion was recently recorded by actor Jeremy Irons.
Apparently, Stravinsky hesitated to commit the narrated version to disc because he was not satisfied with the English translation of the French text. The present version uses a new narration, but to my American English biased ears, the standard translation "works" better. While Irons has a pleasing voice, he is unable to delineate the three characters (the narrator, the soldier, and the devil) the way three separate actors can. For that reason, when recommending this piece to others, I will continue referring to the superb version featuring Ian McKellen, Sting, and Vanessa Redgrave. (ASIN: B000009HYG)
As a filler, Sony has offered Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments in a fine performance conducted by the composer's assistant, Robert Craft.
The remastered sonics are excellent in every respect. It's hard to believe these recordings share provenance with the rather anemic sounding Stravinsky recordings issued in the 1960s.
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