Stravinsky Chailly Rco - Petrushka Pulcinella (35 tracks) +Album Reviews

Not only a definitive Stravinsky, a definitive CD

Benjamin M Smolen | Charlotte, NC United States | 07/31/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Upon hearing this recording of Petrouchka and Pulcinella, I was completely blown away. These are by far the best interpretations of these pieces I have ever heard. In Petrouchka, Riccardo Chailly leads the listener through all the excitement of the Stravinsky's Shrovetide puppet-world with technical perfection and astounding aural beauty. Jacques Zoon and Peter Masseurs do an excellent job as the solo flutist and trumpeter. My favorite part of this CD, however, is Pulcinella. I first heard Pulcinella on Sir Neville Marriner's recording of it with the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields, a somewhat lacking (alright, severely lacking) performance. When I heard Pulcinella again on this CD, it sounded like a completely different piece. Chailly draws incredible excitement from the Royal Concertgebouw, and the technical aspects of the piece are absolutely unbelievable. The soloists, especially Jaap van Zweden, are exceptional, and the singers sing the part with as much light-hearted humor as suits this piece. This is my favorite CD in every aspect (interpretation, technique, character, energy, etc), and if you don't already own it, GET IT NOW!!!!"

A review

Kevin | Davis, CA United States | 03/28/2002

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Upon hearing Charles Dutoit's recording of 'Petrushka' with the Montreal Symphony, I did not think it could get any better. Dutoit provided a wonderfully executed performance that captured the light-heartedness and vigor of this piece.Riccardo Chailly and the Concertgebouw do it even better. Where Montreal was somewhat lacking in technical perfection and balance, Chailly excels. The orchestra sounds perhaps the best it has ever sounded. Their playing is filled with such nuance and subtlety that one has to listen to it more than thrice to really comprehend it. Once again, Chailly relies more on technical perfection and rhythm to provide expression rather than rubato and overwhelming passion. The result has white hot yet completely controlled energy.Due praise is rewarded to Jacques Zoon (flute) and Peter Massuers (trumpet) for a brilliant performance."

Excellent version of this seminal work

W. R. Baker | Austin, Texas USA | 03/12/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This recording has been panned because the orchestra plays the 1947 version for a chamber orchestra. The 1947 version actually works better for me than the 1911 version for full orchestra. In this rendering, which, by the way, is of excellent technical quality, I think that the smaller chamber orchestra better captures the spirit of the piece than a full orchestra. In any case, the Concertgebouw performs it beautifully, concisely, and brillantly. Plus, Pulcinella is also top notch. If you want to have Petrouska and Pulcinella in your collection, you cannot go wrong with this recording."

I bought this for the Pulcinella, but the Petrushka is great

Craig Matteson | Ann Arbor, MI | 02/06/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I bought this CD for Pulcinella and love the way that Riccardo Chailly keeps things lively and, well, dancing. Even in the slow numbers, the emphasis on keeping the rhythms danceable is just wonderful. While the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra is a fine ensemble, Chially leads them in keeping all the sounds beautiful and even the dissonances are exquisite.

The Petrushka is also wonderful. The orchestra sounds are so well combined that the shimmering effects and soaring melodies not only make you want to dance, but sing along. This is a performance I would certainly want to have heard live. It must have been a great session and would be great in a concert hall.

Some make a great deal of the fact that Stravinsky used other composer's music in putting together Pulcinella. This ignores how much he added, how much borrowing was done in the past by composers such as Handel (and nearly everyone else) and how ridiculous the idea that each piece must not only be completely new, but absolutely unqique. That is a formula for the death of art. As Stravinsky himself noted, the best commentary on a piece of music is another piece of music. Amen.

Fine disk, too bad it seems to be unavailable. Somebody should get it back in print because there aren't enough recordings of Pulcinella in my view of things."

Big, bright, square--where's the style?

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/02/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This is such a virtuosic, cleanly played, and well recorded CD that I'd feel guilty rating it low. Even so, I expect more than that. Stravinsky needs a more cimmitted style. Petrouchka is, after all, a ballet about murder, unrequited love, jealousy, and eerie visitations from a ghost. None of that atmosphere is present under Chailly, who moves from section to section with the same bold, extroverted splash. I can see why others love it, but for real chatacter I turn to Temirkanov with the Leningrad Phil. (RCA), which is slashing and spooky, interrupted by spurts of violence, or to Ozawa and the Chicago Sym. (RCA), which is even better played than this CD and recorded in gorgeous Living Stereo. Other performances have caught my fancy from Boulez, Bernstein, and the work's original conductor, Pierre Monteux.

The same reservation holds for this Pulcinella. Chailly conducts a bright, forward, but rather stiff orchestral part--where's the wit or neoclassical elegance? Stravinsky's own recording on Sony did an almost perfect job. His vocalists are skillful but faceless. All in all, if you like big-boned Stravinsky in a splashy symphonic style--something the composer himself avoided--this is a fine example, but I'd look elsehwere for something more.."

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