Search - Stravinsky, Bernstein, Nyp :: Rite of Spring

THE reference recording for The Rite of Spring

Shuang Wu | 04/28/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I would say that the recording of 'The Rite of Spring' on this disc is miles ahead of any other recording of the piece. Perhaps all that you need to know about this recording by Bernstein and the NY Philharmonic made in 1958 is Stravinsky's own review when he first heard the recording:



"Finally, 'The Rite of Spring,' which Mr. Bernstein likes to play for all the cataclysmic shock it can possibly deliver. This was an explosive performance of the sort that is alleged to have brought the following sardonic review from Stravinsky the first time he heard it: 'Wow!'"

[...]

'Wow' is certainly the first word that comes to mind when listening to this Rite of Spring; the winds and brass play their parts with a primeval fury befitting of this music describing pagan sacrifice. The string sections maintain the underlying energy and drive throughout the entire work, and the harsh edge of every sound (especially during the brass and wind solos) is amplified in this recording, making the music appropriately 'nasty' sounding (in the best way possible).



Bernstein later recorded this same piece with the Israel Philharmonic, a recording which is much easier to find here on Amazon, but that later rendition just does not have the same energy behind it as this one.



The recording of Petrushka on this disc is also superlative; while it's not quite as standout as the recording of 'The Rite of Spring', it certainly holds its own against the best recordings of Petrushka available. This rendition of Petrushka by Bernstein (from 1969) carries over much of the same energy from his earlier Rite, but expressed in the lighthearted playfulness of this far less serious work by Stravinsky. The underlying grotesqueness which later manifests itself in Stravinsky's masterpiece Rite of Spring is nevertheless still present here when appropriate, and carried out with much the same energy as in the Rite.



The mastering on this CD, although there is a slight background hiss from the age of the recording, is almost perfect as it preserves the sound and placement of every instrument without the addition of the 'digital sheen' that so often smooths out the sounds of the instruments in modern recordings (especially damaging in recordings of Stravinsky, as it is the hard edge of the instruments that makes his music so effective).



If you can get your hands on this now hard to find recording, by all means, treasure it."