Minnesota Orchestra - Igor Stravinsky The Firebird SuiteNightingaleRite of Spring +Album Reviews

Impressive but cool

Chris Honingh | Krommenie, NH Netherlands | 08/04/2000

(4 out of 5 stars)

"These magnificent works of art by Stravinsky are being played and recorded by numerous orchestras and the Minnesota Orchestra under Mr. Oue has made a startling performance of it. But there are some catches to it, and I think it is the excellence of the performance that bothers me most. Especially in the Firebird there is a lack of prominence, a lack of joy de vivre, and although the drumbeats are breathtaking, the intentions of Stravinsky are not fulfilled. As a matter of fact, there are better performances than this one, i.e. The Firebird in its original setting by Gergiev on Philips or The Nightingale by Dorati on Mercury Living Presence. Most of my criticism is focused on the point that it does not sound Russian enough. The recording by Reference Recording is flawless, although you should turn up your equipment to a rather unusual high volume to hear all details."

Excellent and Refined

Isaac J. Thompson | Shoreview, MN United States | 01/18/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD I believe is very well done. The engineering of this recording is excellent and the quality of the orchestra is superb. Maestro Oue does a great job of taking the listener through the mind and works of Stravinsky. The Firebird is my favorite piece on the CD. One of the most wonderful moments in modern music is the beautiful horn solo at the beginning of the Finale. The Rite of Spring is also incredibly done. The emotion and the quality of this recording is at the highest level possible."

Wow.

B. R. Merrick | 02/18/2008

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is a powerhouse CD. Oue's time with the Minnesota Orchestra was not wasted. Most impressive about this CD is the technical level of the recording. The bass instruments are deep and sonorous. It also has to do with the way the orchestra plays, however. Their tunefulness and precision are astounding at times, and more than satisfactory the rest. I heard things in "The Rite of Spring," my favorite work of all time, that I never heard with any other orchestra. Mind you, I hear them all the time now, with any recording, but that is only because of the way the piece is played here. Note especially the strings hitting the ceiling of their stepwise climb during the final tornado! My only complaint is that the percussion is at times too soft when I'm expecting the big bang, and too powerful during the French Horns' climactic theme during the "Ritual Action of the Ancestors" near the finale. Small complaints, I assure you.

I also don't care for the slower tempo during the "Infernal Dance of King Kashchei" in "The Firebird Suite." Another minor gripe. The extremes between bass and treble in this part alone are worth the price of the CD.

To top it off, a beautiful rendition of "The Song of the Nightingale" between the two better-known masterpieces. Oue's sensitive handling of the tapered, arrhythmical ending of this one should not be missed.

I may not agree with all of the interpretation, but this is a keeper."

Dullest performance of The Firebird Suite on record!

goodmusicman | USA | 06/06/2010

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Eiji Oue's recording of the Firebird Suite (1919) with the Minnesota Orchestra on this CD has got to be the dullest performance of this work ever recorded. The tempos of the finale may be similar to how the composer himself recorded it when he was 83, but that doesn't make it any more enjoyable to listen to! Oue speeds up artificially to generate excitement, but ends up destroying the coherence and beauty of the score in the process. Worst of all is the Infernal Dance, which is my personal favorite part of the Firebird, which is given such a lifeless and dull performance here that the music loses all of its excitement and ferocity. I have never heard a worse Infernal Dance than this one. The sound quality is absolutely outstanding: you can hear every last detail and each section of the orchestra shines through. That is what makes this Infernal Dance so dreadful: every dull note of what is supposed to be pulse-poundingly exciting can be heard clearly. What a mess!

The Rite of Spring is given a more delicate and refined performance here than most, but that doesn't bother me as much. It really comes down to taste. The Rite can be exciting even without being ferocious, as Robert Kraft demonstrated with his excellent Philharmonia recording on Naxos (together with Jennifer Frautschi's outstanding performance of the Violin Concerto), although that Kraft performance is far more exciting than this one by Oue. Eduardo Mata also recorded the Rite with the Dallas SO, giving a performance that emphasizes musical structure and detail over ferocity. I would recommend both Kraft and Mata over Oue, but Oue's Rite isn't bad, just not anything special, unlike his Firebird, which is terrible.

Oue's Song of the Nightingale is the most successful performance on this CD, although it's no match for either Dorati on Mercury or Reiner on RCA. So despite the success of this Nightingale and the extraordinarily vivid sound throughout the CD, it does not merit more than one star due to the dullest-ever Firebird. I really try to stay away from arguments here on Amazon, so I greatly respect the views of those who liked this Firebird. I just feel compelled to warn those who haven't heard it and are dishing out $20 for this CD to be aware of what they're getting into. You might like it, but if you've been spoiled by George Szell's amazing Cleveland performance of the Firebird Suite on Sony (as I have), you'll know that the difference between Szell's Firebird and Oue's is like the difference between night and day."

One of the Most Incredible Firebirds Ever!

B. R. Merrick | 11/15/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Eiji Oue and his Minnesota Orchestra have produced a Firebird performance that takes one's breath away!

Most of the music is slow and quiet up till the finale. Then the orchestra builds to a collossal explosion of brass power that makes STAR WARS sound puny, and that's not easy! It's one of the most impressive moments in classical music history, and it shocks people that an orchestra can actually sound this good. My friends are always asking to borrow this disc from me, and the finale astounds them with its power and its clarity. They return the disc with awed looks, and seem truly impressed. Why can't all music be as brilliant or original as this? What is WRONG with composers these days?

The Rite of Spring is also truly impressive, although my favorite piece on the disc is the Firebird by far.

The Rite of Spring pounds and grinds away, and some of the areas are incredibly distressing, shrieking and squealing like mad. The Sacrificial Dance at the end is a little too slow to be really unsettling, but the tones are marvellously clear and live. All in all, a very impressive disc, with the Firebird as a highlight.

For purists, the grandest part of the Firebird finale is played at EXACTLY the same speed as a live performance by THE COMPOSER HIMSELF, recorded on a black-and-white DVD in London, when Stravinsky was a frail 83-year old man. No doubt the composer would have enjoyed Oue's version as well. Since the sould quality on the DVD is scratchy mono, Oue's incredible stereo performance is now my favorite disc of all time."

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	Minnesota Orchestra Igor Stravinsky: The Firebird Suite/Nightingale/Rite of Spring Genre: Classical
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