The fourth release in Robert Craft’s fine Stravinsky series for Koch features a trio of works that reflect some of the composer’s major preoccupations of the 1930s and 1940s. Begun in 1942 and completed in 1945, the Symphony in Three Movements is Stravinsky’s “war symphony”, allegedly depicting the Allies’ victory and accounting for what Craft, in his booklet notes, calls the “martial spirit” of the outer movements. Craft captures the dramatic energy of the piece, abetted by the fine playing of both the Philharmonia and the unnamed pianist who fully justifies the prominence Stravinsky assigned to the part. The composer’s own version for Sony, however, has a sec quality and a rawness that make it hard to beat. The 1936 Ballet in Three Deals, Jeu de cartes, is typical neo-classic Stravinsky, full of bouncy rhythms and fresh harmonies. With its soufflé-like scoring and Rossinian allusions it should float. But while Craft again elicits pointed phrasing from his band, there’s a touch more drama and fewer smiles than this light-hearted work needs.
The last piece on the disc is the 1945 version of the Firebird Suite. With the familiar 1919 Suite in the public domain, depriving the composer of royalties from his most popular work, Stravinsky added five additional movements and made changes in orchestration and instrumental detail that sharpen the edges and heighten the energy level. Craft’s satisfying performance rivals, but doesn’t supplant, Riccardo Chailly’s with the Concertgebouw on Philips. In sum, with its fine performances and varied program this is a disc bound to give pleasure.
