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Conducts Stravinsky
Stravinsky, Nypso
Conducts Stravinsky
Genre: Classical
 
  •  Track Listings (5) - Disc #1

The late Soulima Stravinsky, son of Igor, was a pianist and composer of relatively minor reputation. So I was totally unprepared for his performance of the Three Movements from Petrouchka, one of our century's great virt...  more »

     

CD Details


Synopsis

Amazon.com
The late Soulima Stravinsky, son of Igor, was a pianist and composer of relatively minor reputation. So I was totally unprepared for his performance of the Three Movements from Petrouchka, one of our century's great virtuoso showpieces for piano. There are wrong notes in this live performance, as there always are, but Soulima still gives a really thrilling performance of the piece, with great drama and tigerish dynamic surges. Very exciting stuff. He also plays his father's major piano works, a few minor pieces, and some transcriptions of his own with obvious insight and affection. Only fair recorded sound--and ignore the ridiculous DDD designation for 1960-75 recordings--but the playing is something special. --Leslie Gerber
 

CD Reviews

Banishes the idea of dinosaurs
John Prothero | Garden Grove, CA United States | 05/24/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Having kids, one is greatly in debt to the vision of Walt Disney. But as I grew up and listened to the recording of "Le Sacre" by Stravinsky, I realized that Disney did a great disservice to the ballet score. Even with Stravinsky conducting, I couldn't get dinosaurs out of my mind. Then I got the Rattle recording. No more dinosaurs. Instead, primitive rythms, dances, terror and a sacrificial virgin come forth. The ballet by Diagalev is back. And the score is reborn. Rattle brings out the brutality of the score, and the Birmingham Symphony plays as the world-class orchestra that it is. I have often held that certain conductors understand certain composers: Solti understood Brahms; Kurt Masur understands Mendelssohn; and Rattle understands Stravinsky. The clarity, the phrasing, and again, the brutality is there. Thank God, no more DINOSAURS!"
Worth looking out for
the_yellow_yahoo | 08/24/2002
(5 out of 5 stars)

"Stravinsky's 1940 recordings of "Rite" and "Petrushka" are magnificent. I won't go on at length because this disc is apparently deleted, but I don't know why the Petrushka is never mentioned in round-ups of the best recordings (unless it's because it's only around half the music). Half or no half, this Petrushka is gripping and a lot better recorded than you're expecting. Maybe Naxos or some other historical label will reissue it."