Search - Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft, Diana Montague :: Stravinsky: Pulcinella; The Fairy's Kiss

Two of Stravinsky's Most Popular Works, Beautifully Done

J Scott Morrison | Middlebury VT, USA | 01/31/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"These mid-90s performances of Pulcinella and The Fairy's Kiss (Baiser de la Fée) conducted by Robert Craft were previously issued on Koch International with different couplings. But issuing them together is a good idea because they are two of Stravinsky's most tuneful, most easily assimilated works based as they are on music of earlier composers and they are given sensational readings here. (I will admit that these works are two of my very favorites by Stravinsky.) One immediately thinks of Pulcinella, based on music by Pergolesi and other early Italians, as being brash and witty, and The Fairy's Kiss as elegant. But in fact each of the works has both of those qualities albeit in somewhat different proportions. Pulcinella is often recognized by folks who don't otherwise know the work well when the 'Vivo' movement is played; that's the section with those sassy trombone smears and the mock-melancholic double bass figures. The Fairy's Kiss, on the other hand, taken as it is from Tchaikovsky themes, sounds in spots almost like an echt-Tchaikovsky ballet until Stravinsky does his witty things with meter and instrumentation. Throughout, though, this is music that could not have been written by anyone other than Stravinsky.



Robert Craft has known this music for fifty years and more. He was, as most know, Stravinsky's acolyte and nearly constant companion in his latter years. He is sometimes thought of as a somewhat pedantic conductor, but in actuality he is not so much pedantic as true to his master, observing all there is in the score - rhythm, nuance, balances, dynamics. And in these two works he conducts them with all the juice they contain. These are lovely, artful, sophisticated performances with immediacy and vitality. Although I own Stravinsky's own recordings of these works, I actually think I prefer these performances, not least because they are in modern sound. But also because they don't hesitate to throw in a little cholesterol which Stravinsky tended to eschew.



It should be pointed out that the fine soloists in Pulcinella are the lovely-voiced soprano Diana Montague (who can forget her recording of Gluck's Iphigenia in Tauris?), tenor Robin Leggate and basso Mark Beesley. The brashly vital orchestral playing for Pulcinella is by the Philharmonia. The elegant playing for The Fairy's Kiss is by the London Symphony Orchestra.



You cannot go wrong with this CD.



Scott Morrison"

Ballet Hits

Reginald Jones | Hamilton, VA USA | 03/09/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Naxos comes to the rescue again, taking two superb out-of-print recordings and reissuing them on its own label. Stravinsky outdid himself when he rescued some lesser known works by Pergolesi and Tchaikovsky and used his own magic to create a pair of memorable ballets. The perfomances are conducted by Robert Craft, one of the composer's closest friends, and could not be bettered. The mid-1990s sound is first class. At Naxos prices, this CD is a real bargain."

Stravinsky, Pergolesi, and Tchaikovsky

Eric S. Kim | Southern California | 04/27/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Before I stumbled into Oedipus Rex and The Nightingale, I only listened Stravinsky's more well-known works: Le Sacre du Printemps, Petrushka, The Firebird, Symphony of Psalms, Fireworks, etc. I honestly thought that this would be enough Stravinsky for me, but I was wrong. Oedipus Rex, The Nightingale, and now Pulcinella & The Fairy's Kiss, are just as intriguing as The Firebird and Le Sacre.



Anyone expecting electrifying music from 20th-century composer Stravinsky will be sorely disppointed. These are actually re-workings of earlier works by Pergolesi and Tchaikovsky. In fact, these are more than just re-workings. Pulcinella sounds like a late baroque piece. It is vastly different, however, in which the instrumentations are given a more modern approach. According to Robert Craft, the conductor of these recordings, the trombone sounds as if it is part of "a 1920s jazz band, as the glissandos confirm. Other modern instrumental touches include the use of flute and string harmonics, and string effects such as flautando, saltando, and the non-arpeggiated double-stop pizzicato." You'll have to listen to it yourself, and you will see that Stravinsky adds his own neo-classical touch to the 18-century piece.



In The Fairy's Kiss, Stravinsky uses piano pieces and songs from Tchaikovsky and turns them into a 43-minute ballet. Upon hearing it the first time, it is just as original than Pulcinella. Tchaikovsky's melodies are given the Stravinsky treatment; the neo-classical approach is pretty neat. Despite it being such a brilliant piece of music, it has to be one of most underappreciated masterpieces of the 20th century. There are a total of ten recordings, and it seems many people haven't even heard of The Fairy's Kiss. I'm hoping that people of this generation will take a liking of 20th Century classical music, and discover this classic, as well as other works from Stravinsky, right here.



I had a little doubt about this CD before I bought it. I didn't really like Robert Craft's recording with the Rite of Spring (with the London Symphony Orchestra), but I guess you'll have to blame the orchestra for it. Now I can see that Craft is an excellent, but not THE greatest, Stravinsky conductor, and it's evident here. He leads stellar performances with the Philharmonia and the London Symphony. Sometimes the orchestral sounds may be a bit too middle-of-the-road, but Craft's strong leadership makes up for it. Like Salonen and Tilson Thomas, he knows the music very well (mainly because he met and became friends with the composer). The two orchestras are flawless: they play without hesitations, and they follow the conductor very closely. Naxos sound quality is just as great as Chandos.



It's basically a must for all Stravinsky fans (but don't expect anything that sounds like Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring)).



Grade: A"