STRAVINSKY L’histoire du soldat: Suite. 1 Renard. 2, 3 Pastorale. 3 3 Pieces for Clarinet. 4 Pour Picasso. 4 Pribaoutki. 5 Berceuses du chat. 5 2 Balmont Songs. 6 3 Japanese Lyrics. 6 Scherzo à la russe. 7 Song of the Volga Boatmen 8 • Robert Craft, cond; Instrumental Ens; 1–3 John Aler, Steven Paul Spears (tn); 2 David Evitts (bar); 2 Wilbur Pauley (bs); 2 Charles Neidich (cl); 4 Catherine Ciesinski (mez); 5 Susan Narucki (sop); 6 O of St. Luke’s; 5, 7 Philharmonia O 8 • NAXOS 8.557505 (69:20 & , lacking Renard )


As the folks at Naxos continue to reissue Robert Craft’s valuable Stravinsky recordings, they are mixing together sessions from various years and sources into programs that differ from their initial releases. This potpourri, for example, reinstates to the catalog the composer’s 1924 quintet arrangement of the Pastorale, the solo clarinet pieces (including the sliver of melody he spontaneously dedicated to Picasso), and his orchestral version of the Song of the Volga Boatmen , all taken from a Koch International release, along with several of the small songs, the original orchestration (for the Paul Whiteman jazz band) of the Scherzo à la russe , and the septet arrangement of the L’histoire du soldat Suite, first issued on MusicMasters. The odd man out here is the 1916 burlesque Renard , in a 2005 performance new to disc.


Suffice to say that the more modest pieces are presented in a lovely light, especially the delicate Japanese songs, and Charles Neidich’s account of the clarinet miniatures. Nevertheless, one’s decision to invest in this release, even at a budget price, will likely depend upon the larger works, the Suite and Renard . Due to current discographical absurdities, Stravinsky’s own recording of the L’histoire du Soldat Suite is buried in expensive, multidisc boxes, which makes this impressive version by his one-time alter ego all the more valuable. As might be expected, Craft shares the composer’s predilection for crisp, buoyant rhythms, and quick tempos, so the spirit and satire is intact.


This new Renard is—literally—something else, however. The music is the same, of course, and though Stravinsky shaves two minutes off of Craft’s time in his own Columbia performance, Craft obtains much the same biting tone and sharp, taut phrasing. The difference is in the text. Now, Stravinsky was acutely aware of the rhythmic and tonal complexities of setting words to music, and the different effects that various languages suggest; nevertheless he felt it extremely important that the local audience for each performance of Renard be able to understand the words being sung. To that end, although the work was originally composed with his own Russian libretto (based on folk tales by Alexander Afanasiev), he collaborated with the Swiss poet C. F. Ramuz on a French translation, and personally provided an English language version for a Los Angeles concert in 1953—which, one assumes, was used in his 1962 Columbia recording. In his program annotation for this release, Craft writes that “The text of the present recording is based on this but is emended in several places by Fred Sherry, Philip Traugott, and the present writer.”


My dictionary says that to emend means “to free from defects” or “to correct.” Craft’s implication seems to be that he and the others made some minor changes intended to more accurately present Stravinsky’s own words and intention, but I wonder if that is indeed the case. Entire sections are radically altered or replaced—among them, all of the names of the Cock’s family are changed, and one passage where the Cock compares himself to Jesus is omitted completely. Since every word change effects a musical consideration, one wonders what Stravinsky would have thought of this after-the-fact “emendation.” I can’t say it does any major harm, but it is curious—and unexplained. Also curious is the fact that Ernest Ansermet, in his 1964 Decca recording, used yet another vastly different “English text” (translated from Stravinsky’s French version? surely the 1917 copyright cited refers to this) by Rollo H. Myers, which has apparently continued to be used on occasion—see John Rockwell’s review in the New York Times , March 20, 1983. Has anyone published an essay that clarifies Renard ’s textual history? (By the way, song texts are included in the program booklet, but the libretto to Renard is not.) None of which should deter any fan of Stravinsky’s music from enjoying this fine disc.


FANFARE: Art Lange

Robert Craft always conducts splendid late Stravinsky, or selects the best players to do the chamber works full justice, and so it proves here. Granted, the program is a bit of a mish-mash, but that’s only to be expected given the composer and the length of each work. In the Duo, Frautschi and Denk play with just the right crispness and clarity, and you’ll search in vain for a better version of Abraham and Isaac (not that there are all that many). In short, if you’ve been collecting this series, which Naxos hopefully will box up complete someday, then you’ll want to add this disc to your library as well.

-- David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

In contrast to Igor Strawinsky’s piano works for two hands, which are chiefly ascribed to neoclassicism, the compositions for four hands and two pianos belong to all three periods of his creative work: “Trois pieces faciles” as well as the “cinq pieces faciles” to the Russian, the “Concerto per due pianoforti soli” to the French and the “Sonata for two pianos” to the American phase.

While Igor Stravinsky is known for his exciting and ground-breaking words The Rite of Spring and The Firebird, it would be reductive to view him solely through the prism of those works. Threi is his longest, most ambitious and complex score and probably one of the peaks of his career. A work like the Requiem Canticles goes even further in this direction: the composer's last masterpiece, summarizing in itself the evolution of an entire lifetime. In this album, Philippe Herreweghe reveals with conviction his love for the composer's music and under his sure, inspired direction, the Collegium Vocale Gent and the Royal Flemish Philharmonic reveal their pure poetry.

Harking back to a golden era in recording, when the ensembles of the Eastman School of Music under the baton of the legendary Frederick Fennell made dozens of pioneering recordings for Mercury Living Presence, the Eastman Wind Ensemble celebrates its 60th anniversary with its first recording for AVIE Records featuring two seminal works by Stravinsky. The composer's music figured early on in the EWE's history - his Symphonies for Wind Instruments was performed in 1951 on a program conducted by Frederick Fennell that led to the establishment of the Eastman Wind Ensemble. And in 1966, at the age of 83, Stravinsky made his one and only visit to the Eastman School of Music, overseeing performances of several of his works. Under Mark Scatterday, who continues in the prestigious lineage as only the fourth conductor in the EWE's history, the superior student ensemble performs Stravinsky's Octet, while Eastman Virtuosi, made up of the Eastman School's renowned faculty members, turn in a devilishly fine rendition of A Soldier's Tale. Jan Opalach delivers an exceptionally nuanced narration as well as portraying the folk tale's two protagonists, Joseph the solider and the Devil. critical acclaim for Eastman Wind Ensemble and Eastman Virtuosi "sonorous recordings ... extraordinary depth" - Gramophone "insightful, interpretive, passionate readings" - The New York Times "America's premiere wind band" - Fanfare

This simply stunning disc contains the finest available recording of Les Noces, a performance that combines textural clarity with Slavic soul in a way unmatched by any other. Combine this with Ancerl's habitual rhythmic accuracy, toss in amazingly lifelike sonics (superbly remastered here), and you can practically copy the score down just by listening. More importantly, the work's 23 minutes prove so engrossing that the time flies by in what subjectively seems like a few mesmerizing moments. The soloists, particularly soprano Libuse Domanínská and tenor Ivo Zidek, are marvelous--but then everyone, including pianists, chorus, and percussion play with a crispness that paradoxically produces just the impression Stravinsky was after: that of improvisatory, multi-layered freedom.


The remainder of the program is no less distinguished. In the beautifully neo-classical Cantata, Ancerl has tenor Gerald English and soprano Barbara Robotham as his idiomatic soloists, while both here and in the Mass the Prague Philharmonic Choir once again demonstrates that in the 1960s it was one of the world's great vocal ensembles. It goes without saying that the playing of the Czech Philharmonic, winds especially (the Mass is scored for voices and double wind quintet), could hardly be bettered. Ancerl was, of course, a very great conductor, but even in his distinguished discography his Stravinsky recordings stand out as special. Take this one along with his coupling of the Symphony of Psalms and Oedipus Rex, and you simply can't do any better. [11/13/2004]
--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

Dr. Graham Griffiths writes: “Every recording of Stravinsky’s ‘complete works for solo piano’ is a considerable achievement. However, this latest 5-album cycle with Russian pianist Alexey Zuev is a cause for special celebration for it also includes all of Stravinsky’s piano transcriptions and arrangements, many of which have never before been recorded – indeed, until now, some have remained completely unknown. This project, therefore, represents a significant milestone in Stravinsky recording history. Alexey Zuev and Outhere Music are to be congratulated for bringing every corner of Stravinsky’s pianistic catalogue into the wider musical conversation, and for making the case most convincingly that all of this solo repertoire, whether original or transcribed, deserves to be performed and appreciated as part of this great composer’s innovative canon of piano works.”

Writing for the piano was the focal point of Stravinsky’s composing activity, despite the small number of works he wrote explicitly for the instrument. This program testifies to this by creating a dialogue both between the pieces themselves, and the interpreter's conversation with the composer through his music. Russian soul meets the jazzy bustle of Paris and New York, neo-Classical and Baroque reminiscence converses with the rhythmic and harmonic spice of Stravinsky’s modernity, and the poised antiquity of Apollon musagète encounters Le Sacre du Printemps.

The Italian pianist Luigi Palombi, graduated in Piano and Composition from the Milan Conservatory under the guidance of Mariagrazia Grauso and Sonia Bo. He has performed at prestigious venues all over the world, and alongside fine artists like Ennio Morricone and Nicola Piovani.

With Rolf Schulte, a cosmopolitan among violinists has taken on the music of the great cosmopolitan among 20th century composers: In the 1970s, he recorded most of the works for violin and piano at the Westdeutscher Rundfunk in Cologne, as well as the trio suite from the 'Soldier's Tale' arranged by Stravinsky himself. Schulte, born in Cologne, studied with Yehudi Menuhin, Franco Gulli and Ivan Galamian. He has lived in New York since 1971, where, like Paul Zukofsky, he established himself as one of the great violinists in the modern repertoire. According to 'The New Yorker' he is "one of the most distinguished violinists of our time". His recordings of the violin concertos by Schoenberg, Roger Sessions and Elliott Carter have been successful worldwide. His live recordings of the concertos by Respighi, Dohnányi (No. 2) and Stravinsky as well as the Kafka Fragments by György Kurtág (with Adrienne Cséngery) are legendary. The present recordings are released here for the first time on record for the Stravinsky anniversary year and give European listeners the exclusive opportunity to experience the greatness of a German virtuoso who emigrated to the USA. The immense richness of expression and color of Schulte's Stravinsky playing, his stylistic clarté and violinistic fulminance allow Stravinsky's music to speak with an authentic authority a few years after his death that is very rare today. Recommended listening: the 'Suite Italienne' based on the popular Pulcinella Suite on themes by Pergolesi.

In his autobiography, Igor Stravinsky wrote of his not having had an ''great liking'' for the combination of strings and piano. That there nevertheless are a number of chamber works by him featuring the violin is to a large extent due to the violinist Samuel Dushkin. The two were introduced to each other by Stravinsky's german music publisher who wanted to persuade him to compose a violin concerto. They obviously hit it off: their collaboration continued after the concerto had come into being in 1931, and they devised a recital programme to perform together on tours. The centrepiece was Duo concertant which Stravinsky completed in 1932 as his only original composition for violin and piano. Rather than looking for common ground between the two instruments, Stravinsky aimed to emphasize their individuality in a work that he himself claimed was ''determined by my love of the pastoral poets of antiquity and their scholarly art and technique''. The other pieces on this album are, with one exception, arrangements of Stravinsky's own works including The Firebird, Petrushka and Le rossignol. The majority were made for and in collaboration with Dushkin, but a few come from the 1920's and were intended for the violinist Paul Kochanski. One of these is the Suite for Violin and Piano, arranged from the ballet Pulcinella - material that Stravinsky revisited in the 1930's in order to make a new version for Dushkin. With this programme, and in the company of the eminent Russian pianist Peter Laul, the highly virtuosic and temperamental violinist Ilya Gringolts makes his return to BIS.

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REVIEW:

On this fine new BIS release, young Russian violinist Ilya Gringolts turns to music of Igor Stravinsky, featuring his two major works for violin and piano, the Duo Concertante and the Suite for Violin and Piano, among other works. All is played to perfection. Excellent, natural sonic picture. Recommended!

– Classical CD Review

This is a fabulous recital showcasing a stunning array of musical invention by the great shape-shifting composer of the 20th century. The engineers at BIS have deft hands when it comes to arranging microphones, and the presentation of the CD is especially fine with photogravure fern images on front and back. For fiddle or Stravinsky fans, this production is not to be missed.

– Audiophile Audition

I can't think of another conductor I would rather hear in this music than Robert Craft, not just because he is more respectful of the text than just about anyone else, but because he has the confidence and integrity to respect the music's understated idiom--to suggest rather than announce--as well as a keen understanding of the rhythmic element that underpins it all. This last factor is particularly critical in Apollo, music whose extreme stylization can become a caricature if taken too slowly or denied the necessary lightness and grace. Craft's supple leadership keeps the piece moving along smartly, with a firm lyrical line threading through the acres of ornament. In Agon, his careful observance of dynamics ensures that the difficult-to-capture licks for harp and mandoline register with complete naturalness and clarity. Orpheus, one of Stravinsky's most striking and luminous pieces, has a cool beauty that Craft realizes particularly well, again by taking care over matters of phrasing and balance. I could be very specific as to the scores, but suffice it to say that just about every page contains relevant examples of what I am describing. More importantly, with excellent playing and sonics, all at a budget price, if you want this music you can't do better. [5/27/2005]--David Hurwitz, ClassicsToday.com

STRAVINSKY, ET AL.: MUSIC FOR

ROBERT CRAFT CONDUCTS UNDER TH

Also available on Blu-ray

Stravinsky in Hollywood, a film by Michael Capalbo, tells the story of an "old school" European artist knocking heads with the brash New World. The documentary uses a combination of existing archival footage (some never before seen), interviews with Stravinsky and his assistant Robert Craft, and premieres several big studio film scenes of the 40s with music Stravinsky wrote for them.

Hearing a composer conduct their own work offers the potential for fascinating interpretive insights and comparisons, all the more so when the composer in question is one of the most-influential names in 20th century music. Presented in this 3 CD boxed set are some of the composer’s most important works, including the Symphony of Psalms, Symphony in C, Dumbarton Oaks, Violin Concerto in D, and more. The collection also features a number of world renowned soloists, including Charles Rosen, Isaac Stern, Benny Goodman, and Philippe Entremont.