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119 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
Superlative Music Making - Stravinsky For All Seasons
This must be the greatest bargin set ever released. For this price you would expect 'average' versions of Stravinsky's major works. What you get [not made clear on the box] are 22 CD's made up of all the stereo recordings made for Columbia by the composer himself; a few works directed by Robert Craft with Stravinsky in the studio; and a handful of vintage recordings of...
Published on 6 Jul 2007 by J. Gibbons
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
A unique collection, but is it everyone's collection of choice?
That composers are necessarily the best performers of their own works is a disputed matter, Rachmaninov, whose performances of his own works sometimes are dismissed for being too hurried and lacking assurance being an example. Having listened to these discs reminded me of the same disappointment I experienced when I managed to acquire and listen to LP's of Stravinsky's...
Published 7 months ago by Iradj Moeini
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119 of 122 people found the following review helpful:
Superlative Music Making - Stravinsky For All Seasons, 6 Jul 2007
This must be the greatest bargin set ever released. For this price you would expect 'average' versions of Stravinsky's major works. What you get [not made clear on the box] are 22 CD's made up of all the stereo recordings made for Columbia by the composer himself; a few works directed by Robert Craft with Stravinsky in the studio; and a handful of vintage recordings of works not remade in stereo by the composer. These interpretations are of immense historical importance but, also, very fine performances in their own right. The sound is first class; the remastering also.
There is so much here to enjoy that it is difficult to single out individual works. A few of my personal favourites are 'The Firebird', 'The Rite of Spring', 'Apollo' [my desert island recording of a lovely work from Stravinsky's neo-classical period], 'The Ebony Concerto' with Benny Goodman, and 'Les Noces' with both Samuel Barber and Aaron Copland among the pianists! However, I'm sure this list will change considering just what treasure trove is included.
An essential collection at a stupid price. Buy it before Sony BMG realise their mistake.
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113 of 117 people found the following review helpful:
An essential purchase, 30 Jul 2007
At last, these recordings, which were previously released as "Stravinsky - The Recorded Legacy" on Sony Classical (SX22K46290), have been reissued at a budget price. The previous incarnation (which is still available) came in a plastic presentation case with all CDs in single, double and triple jewel cases, also a very detailed booklet with all song & opera texts, synopses and translations and various background essays. That set cost between £89 and £120 depending on where you got it from. The present set dispenses with much of that in order to save at least £60.
So what you get in this release are the CDs in cardboard sleeves housed in a cardboard box, the advantage of this being that it takes up the bare minimum of space on the shelf. You also get a very minute booklet with only the details of the soloists, orchestras and recording dates and a short essay (in a few European languages). (So no song texts etc here, which is a bit annoying.) The positive side is that all the recordings are exactly the same as in the previous release, which is obviously the most important part and it's a great way of getting a lot of fantastic music for very little money (not to mention historically important versions of Stravinsky's music, conducted and/or overseen by the man himself). For me this was ideal as I wasn't really that interested in much of the vocal music so didn't really want to shell out for the more expensive set.
There's really no excuse for not buying this at this price, unless you feel you have to have all the extra packaging and paperwork which comes with the more expensive version (or you are broke, but even then you ought to try to get this).
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40 of 41 people found the following review helpful:
Five Stars, with only a little disappointment..., 18 Jan 2008
I obviously agree with the enthusiasm shown by the preceding reviewers. Well beyond the bargain, this is a real cornerstone of the recording history. Many years have passed since the useless discussions in the Sixties about Stravinsky skills as a conductor, and with the grace of time we can honour now a neat, logical, unemphatic rendition of his masterworks.
However... (there is always a however), whilst the lack of the spoken and sung texts may be easily filled up with web services, Sony have not grabbed the opportunity of this compact re-edition of the 1991 Recorded Legacy megabox to heal an annoying flaw with respect to the original 1982 Centenary Edition in 31 LPs: the cancellation of ten works, which well depicted the artistic flavour of the Stravinsky years. One of the reviewers spoke of the discovery of a great pianist, Charles Rosen; well, many of the cancelled works gave exactly this type of information and feeling.
If someone is interested in knowing the details, the omitted works are: Pastorale for voice and piano (Tourel/Rogers); Tango for two pianos and Concerto for two pianos (Vronsky and Babin, the concerto however being substituted by a very old EMI recording by the Stravinskys); Serenade for piano (Rosen, also substituted by another old EMI recording by Stravinsky); Three Easy Pieces and Five Easy Pieces for four-hands piano (Gold and Fizdale); finally, and above all, the Pastorale for violin and wind quartet (Szigeti with Stravinsky and an unspecified wind quartet), the arrangement of The Star-spangled Banner (Stravinsky), the short Fanfare for a new Theatre (Heinrich and Nagel), and the Chanson Russe for violin and piano (Szigeti and Stravinsky).
Five stars, no doubt, also taking into account this imperfection. By the way, the Fanfare, the Star-spangled Banner, and the Chanson Russe are contained in another Sony box, the well known Original Jacket Collection - Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky (SX9K 64136).
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54 of 56 people found the following review helpful:
Deserves about 7 stars!! What a bargain!!!, 19 Oct 2007
This is unbelievable. OK, the recordings have been around for years and presumably have paid their way, but it is still generous of Sony to offer a set of this musical and historical importance, excellence and sheer size for SO little money. I know the better-known Stravinsky - the earlier ballet scores, the symphonies, some of the chamber pieces, 'The Rake's Progress', 'Oedipus Rex' pretty well, but one of the great joys of this set is coming upon little-known, sometimes quite small pieces, which are so delightful. And was there ever a composer with such a range, writing for all kinds and combinations of voices and instruments and in so many styles (I had never heard the early 'Symphony', which is like a turn-of-the-century Russian sub-Tchaikovsky piece, and great fun ; or there are beautiful little songs to quirky texts, wonderful inventive variations on a Bach chorale, and many, many other things)? There are brief but very telling, even charming rehearsal sequences, an interview and some historical performances, all interesting. We hear Szigeti, Benny Goodman, Charles Rosen, Aaron Copland, Samuel Barber, Roger Sessions, Evelyn Lear, Phillipe Entremont, Alexander Young and Stravinsky himself at the piano. Stravinsky was a marvellous conductor of his own works, and these interpretations are full of life, rhythmically precise, usually very expertly played and very well recorded. There is, for example, woodwind detail in 'Firebird' that I have never heard before, but it is not unnaturally highlit - it just sounds 'right'. Sony have not pushed out the boat on presentation - the 22 CDs are in simple card sleeves (though with lovely archive photos of Stravinsky), the booklet is minimal but OK and the CDs come in an adequate box, but really, who cares? This is a fantastic set which does full justice to a fascinating, towering composer, and at a price anyone can afford. Hooray!!
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
A list of the Works of Igor Stravinsky, 8 May 2009
Works of Igor Stravinsky
Igor Stravinsky, Conductor
DISC 1
Ballets Vol. 1
The Firebird (ballet)
Scherzo à la Russe
Scherzo fantastique*
Fireworks
CBC Symphony Orchestra*
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1961, 1962, 1963)
DISC 2
Ballets Vol. 2
Petrushka (ballet)
The Rite of Spring (ballet)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960)
DISC 3
Ballets Vol. 3
The Wedding (ballet)
Samuel Barber, piano
Aaron Copland, piano
Lukas Foss, piano
Roger Sessions, piano
The American Concert Choir
Columbia Percussion Ensemble
Renard the Fox (ballet)
The Soldier's Tale (Suite)
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
(Recorded in 1959, 1961, 1962)
DISC 4
Ballets Vol. 4
Apollo (Apollon Musagete) (ballet)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Agon (ballet)
Los Angels Festival Symphony Orchestra
Card Game (ballet)
Cleveland Orchestra
(Recorded in 1957, 1964)
DISC 5
Ballets Vol. 5
Scènes de ballet
CBC Symphony Orchestra
Bluebird - Pas de deux
The Fairy's Kiss (ballet)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1963, 1964, 1965)
DISC 6
Ballets Vol. 6
Pulcinella (ballet)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Orpheus (ballet)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1964, 1965)
DISC 7
Ballets Vol. 7 (Suites)
Petrushka (Suite)
Pulcinella (Suite)
The Firebird (Suite)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960, 1965, 1967)
DISC 8
Symphony in E flat, Op. 1 - Rehearsals and Talks
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1966)
DISC 9
Symphonies
Symphony in Three Movements
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Symphony in C
Symphony of Psalms
CBC Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1961, 1962, 1963)
DISC 10
Concertos
Concerto for Piano and Wind Instruments
Philippe Entremont, Piano
Movements for Piano and Orchestra
Chales Rosen, Piano
Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Philippe Entremont, Piano
Concerto in D for Violin and Orchestra
Isaac Stern, Violin
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960, 1961, 1964, 1966)
DISC 11
Miniature Masterpieces
Greeting Prelude
Suite No. 1 for Small Orchestra
Suite No. 2 for Small Orchestra
Concerto in E flat for Chamber Orchestra, "Dumbarton Oaks"
Four Norwegian Moods for Orchestra
Circus Polka
Concerto in D for String Orchestra, "Basle Concerto"
Eight Instrumental Miniatures
Four Etudes for Orchestra
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
CBC Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1962, 1963, 1964)
DISC 12
Chamber Music & Historical Recordings Vol. 1
Preludium for Jazz Ensemble
Concertino for 12 Instruments
Octet for Wind Instruments
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
Ragtime for 11 Instruments
Tango
Septet
Pastorale
Ebony Concerto for Clarinet solo and Big Band
Benny Goodman, Clarinet
Columbia Jazz Ensemble
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
(Recorded in 1961, 1962, 1965)
Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Symphonieorchester des Nordwestdeutschen
(Recorded in 1951, MONO)
DISC 13
Chamber Music & Historical Recordings Vol. 2
Duo Concertant for Violin and Piano
Joseph Szigeti, Violin
Igor Stravinsky, Piano
(Recorded in 1945, MONO)
Serenade in A
Igor Stravinsky, Piano
(Recorded in 1934, MONO)
Concerto for 2 Solo Pianos
Igor Stravinsky, Piano
Soulima Stravinsky, Piano
(Recorded in 1938, MONO)
Piano-Rag Music
Igor Stravinsky, Piano
(Recorded in 1938, MONO)
Sonata for 2 Pianos
Arthur Gold, Piano
Robert Fizdale, Piano
Sonata for Piano
Charles Rosen, Piano
(Recorded in 1960, 1961)
DISC 14
Operas
The Nightingale (Opera)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Opera Society of Washington D. C.
Mavra (Opera)
CBC Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960, 1964)
DISC 15
35 Songs
Faun and Shepherdess
Two Poems of Paul Verlaine
Two Poems of Konstantin Bal'mont
Three Japanese Lyrics
Three Little Songs
Pleasant Songs
Cat's Cradle Songs
Four Russian Pleasant Songs
Four Songs
Three Songs of William Shakespeare
In Memorium Dylan Thomas.
Elegy for J. F. K.
The Owl and The Pussy-cat
Tilim - Bom / Klabum - klabam
CBC Symphony Orchestra
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
(Recorded in 1964, 1965, 1967, 1966, 1968)
DISC 16, 17
The Rake's Progress (Opera in Three Acts)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra
(Recorded in 1964)
DISC 18
Oratorio - Melodrama Vol. 1
Oedipus Rex (Opera - Oratorio in two acts after Sophocles)
Chorus and Orchestra of the Opera Society of Washington D. C.
The Flood (A Musical Play)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1961, 1962)
DISC 19
Oratorio - Melodrama Vol. 2
Persèphone (Melodrama in three parts)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Ode (Elegiacal chant in three parts)
Cleveland Orchestra
Monumentum Pro Gesualdo di Venosa ad DISC Annum
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960, 1964, 1966)
DISC 20
Sacred Works Vol. 1
Chorale Variations
on the German Christmas Carol
"Vom Himmel hoch da komm' ich her"
Johann Sebatian Bach
(Arrangement Igor Stravinsky)
Zvezdoliki
Ave Maria
Credo
Pater Noster
Cantata (Anonym 15th/16th Century lyrics)
Mass
Babel
CBC Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1960, 1962, 1963, 1964, 1965, 1966)
DISC 21
Sacred Works Vol. 2
Canticum Sacrum ad Honorem Sancti Marci Nominis
Los Angels Festival Symphony Orchestra and Chorus
Introitus
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
A Sermon, A Narrative and A Prayer
CBC Symphony Orchestra
Anthem
Festival Singers of Toronto
Threni (id est lamentationes Jeremiae Prophetae)
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
(Recorded in 1957, 1959, 1962, 1966)
DISC 22
Robert Craft conducts under the supervision of Igor Stravinsky
Song of the Nightingale
Dances Concertantes
Epitaphum
Double Canon
Abraham and Isaac
Variations
Requiem Canticles
Columbia Symphony Orchestra
Columbia Chamber Ensemble
(Recorded in 1961, 1964, 1966, 1967, 1969)
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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
An absolute no-brainer, 16 Oct 2007
22CDs of top-class recordings of the 20th century's greatest composer for £1 a disc. You are guaranteed to discover gems you never knew, such as Charles Rosen playing the piano sonata, in among the famous and towering achievements like the Rite and the Firebird. You'll kick yourself if you don't get it, not least as postage is free!
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
Stravinsky conducts Stravinsky, 23 Aug 2008
It's common to find good value box sets from labels such as EMI Classics, Brilliant Classics and Warner Classics, but not so often on the Sony label.
In general, the bigger the set the better the value, with collections of more than ten discs often falling into the bargain category of under £1 a disc.
This collection though represents not only value for money but also provides pretty much all of Stravinsky's lifetime works (he composed around 127 pieces) in a compact box of just 5cm width thanks to the CDs being supplied in card sleeves.
The enclosed 24 booklet provides a biography of the composer, and more importantly full recording dates, venues, orchestras, soloists and conductors, and if this doesn't sound reason enough to own the set, maybe the fact that all of the recordings are conducted by Stravinsky himself should put the final seal of approval on this most comprehensive of lifetime recording achievements.
The best Stravinsky set available I think by a long, long way.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
A tremendous set...., 10 Jun 2008
the master himself-why SONY/BMG dont do this with other artists is curious;
but the playing is excellent as well as the sound, for the dates of recording-and Im
exposed to pieces ive never heard, or even heard of before.
Who knew IS stuck his big toe in to the water of Jazz...?
The shoddy booklet is a real shame, but I cannot complain,
its a box set that doesnt require a fork lift to bring into the house-
and I spent EXACTLY $26.00 USD for it at TOWER Mail Order
true value for money.
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22 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
Discs 3, 12, 13 and 20 ..., 20 Oct 2007
This extraordinary gathering of the main body of Stravinsky's works, substantially conducted by the composer, is an obvious eye-catcher, especially at the very appealing pricing. It is indeed wonderful, but inevitably there are some drawbacks. Few listeners will want to sit down to listen to 22 CD's of one composer's output in a row; most listeners will find their ears wearying somewhat at the very dated sound quality - the majority of the recordings are from the 1960's, and although many come up surprisingly well, the sound is often plummy and sometimes worse. Crucially, the harsh truth is that the majority of the conducting took place when Stravinsky was in his eighties. We love the feel of the authenticity, but I am sure I will not be the only listener who pines for greater energetic impact.
The four CD's I have sampled so far are the 3rd (of 7 discs devoted to Ballet music), the 12th and 13th (the two "chamber and historic" CD's) and the 20th (first of two on "sacred works").
From the 3rd, Les Noces is sung in some kind of English translation. If you are used to this in Russian, the words are sure to sound perverse at times. But the four pianists are an amazing line-up - Barber, Copland, Foss and Sessions, and the singing is pleasantly clean-voiced in a piece that glistens with some of Stravinsky's finest ensemble writing. Less successful is Renard the Fox, a piece of entirely different cultural positioning which nonetheless is made to sound bizarrely similar to Les Noces. The disc closes with a rendering of The Soldier's Tale whose cheerfulness comes across despite the limited qualities of the sound.
Discs 12 and 13 give a different slant, with the composer himself at the keyboard (recordings from 1934, 1938 and, with Szigeti in the Duo Concertant, 1945). The sound from 1934 (the Serenade in A) is really too poor to make much of, but the 1938 take of the Concerto for Two Solo Pianos (Igor and son Soulima Stravinsky) has an undeniable sense of father and son enjoying themselves without stretching too hard to get all the notes exactly right. Szigeti sounds happy enough to be with the great composer to be too worried about his accompanist's fingers. The solo piano works only really come to life as true interpretative performances when Charles Rosen steps up to do the Sonata, which as you would expect is done with huge refinement and intelligence.
The bigger chamber works are also a mixed bag. Best for me was the Symphonies of Wind Instruments, where the playing is full of sympathy and I found myself forgetting the 1951 sound quality. Some of the other light pieces left me with eyebrows raised as to why the great man troubled to write down some of the limp ideas - the Tango for example is surely too lugubrious even to be taken as ironic.
The Sacred music disc however includes some fine things. The Mass is probably best of these - the performance had me wondering anew at Stravinsky's intriguing choice of double wind quintet to accompany the choral writing. I have long loved the Cantata, but there are few surprises here (apart from "Right Mighty Elizabeth" being tossed away like a scrumpled sweetwrapper) and most afficionados of this fine work will want something much better recorded for regular listening or study. Lastly I really wonder why the Bach "Chorale Variations" arrangement was included at all - the choir sound almost as though they are sight-singing and the work is of very limited interest in relation to Stravinsky's wider achievements.
But I am not cavilling overall - just cautioning listeners that this fantastic offer is not all fresh caviare. I am listening on with enthusiasm !
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4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
A breath of fresh air, 18 Jun 2009
Having read several of the other reviews of this set, I was determined to sample it for myself. I discovered that I already own some of the offerings (Rite of Spring, Agon, Apollo) in the original vinyl. I wonder how much these are worth now? The quality of the transcription to CD is generally excellent, even for the pre 60s recordings, and I for one can't fault Stravinsky's handling of the works I have sampled so far. At just under £18 this is unbelievable value for money.
I have just one very minor quibble: The first box set got lost in the post from Jersey so I had to wait a few weeks until a replacement arrived. I experienced a similar delay from Indigo with another bargain a few years ago (Louis Armstrong complete hot fives and sevens). But I will definitely try them again!
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