Search - Spoken Word, Igor Stravinsky, Leonard Bernstein :: Stravinsky: Petrushka; Pulcinella

Bernstein was a great Stravinskian, and here he's our guide

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 06/16/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"The unique aspect of this reissue is a 20-min. talk by Bernstein taking us scene by scene through the story of Stravinsky's Petrushka, complete with musical illustrations. Almost fifteen years after his death, it's moving to hear that kindly, comforting voice we kids knew so well when we were riveted by Bernstein's Young People's Concerts. This talk begins with a basic introduction to the composer (whom Bernstein calls, rightly, the towering figure in 20th century music), but once he gets to the ballet itself, I was surprised how specifically each character and incident is painted by the composer.



As for the performance itself, this is a terrific Petrushka with the NY Phil. at its virtuosic best in 1969. The current remastering brings out the best in the original spacious acoustics, but some of the sound is dated. In the nearly four decades since Bernstein recorded his account, we've had more Russian-flavored ones, particularly from Temirkanov on RCA, a spectacularly recorded one from Ozawa in Chicago (also on RCA), and Boulez's crystalline clarity (Sony and DG). What keeps Bernstein's reading vividly alive is that he conducts emotionally, from the heart of the ballet's poignant, fantastical, shocking drama. No one else is so much the storyteller in this masterpiece. Only a tendency to lag here and there keeps me from being totally convinced.



I like Bernstein's robustness in the filler, a rather heavy-handed Pulcinella Suite from 1960 done in coarse, grainy sound. In order to really like his approach, as opposed to the more elegant ones heard from almost everyone else, you have to think of Pulcinella as a knockabout character in a rural Italian street show. Then it works perfectly."

Bernstein and Stavinsky combination is top notch

Daniel W. Fowler | Austin TX | 06/08/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This CD offers a very interesting discussion of Petrushka sandwiched between two first-rate recordings of Petrushka and Pulcinella, both in their 1947 versions. I am very familiar with Petrushka, but I still learned a lot from Bernstein's description of the story, aptly illustrated by sound bites from the work. The 1969 recording of Petrushka captured the New York Philharmonic at its peak, and this remastering of the recording faithfully portrays the sound of the orchestra from the chirping and sometimes mournful woodwinds, to the swirling strings, the staccato horns, and the skeletal piano. The performance tells the story well, from the chaos of the crowds to the despair and death of Petrushka. I would place this performance, along with the one by Karel Ancerl and the Czech Philharmonic, as my two favorites. I am less familiar with Pulcinella, but I was caught up in the quirky rhythms and really enjoyed the virtuosity of the orchestra (particularly the biting trombone). Very highly recommended!"