This Stravinsky set of ballet music has it all: a conductor famous for his attention to detail, world-class orchestras, audiophile sound, and a price that is easy on the wallet. All but one of these recordings were justly praised in their initial releases; the exception, a never-before-released sparkling rendition of Jeu de Cartes, should have been issued, for it is one of the very best. Of the lot, Riccardo Chailly’s gripping, urgent 1985 account of Le sacre du printemps merits inclusion among the great performances of this piece on disc. Not only does it remain a demonstration-quality disc (with a bass drum part that rivals the most explosive offerings from Telarc) but it also highlights the unflappability of the redoubtable Cleveland Orchestra. Take the “Sacrificial Dance” of Part 2, for instance: the rhythmic precision is so uncannily taut that we can hear through the unbridled savagery of this complex music right to the heart of the score–no mean feat.
The rest of the two-disc set is given over to Chailly and his beloved Concertgebouw, which yields nothing to its Cleveland counterpart. In the 1945 Firebird Suite (with reduced forces), Chailly and the Concertgebouw dwell successfully on the score’s luminous textures, especially in the various Princess dance sections, achieving a remarkable transparency and lightness. At the same time, they pull out the stops in a sudden burst of sound with the entrance of Katschei’s infernal dance. Chailly’s Petrouchka is nothing less than stellar, with great solos from the trumpet and flute allied with a general orchestral virtuosity that yields a white-hot performance.
Recorded in 1996, the Jeu de Cartes conveys just the right amount of wittiness (how can you help but smile at the collision of Rossini and Beethoven in the quicksilver Presto of the third “deal”?) and yet again, the clarity and rhythmic control are simply staggering. Inner voices in the strings that are meant to be merely background to the action reveal nuances that are not often heard in other recordings. Finally, the Concertgebouw’s sonorous strings offer a rather full-bodied, lush Apollon musagète, probably more “romantic” and ardent in conception than others (including Stravinsky’s own). Concertmaster Jaap van Zweden’s solos come across exceptionally well, full of lyricism and introspection. [5/10/2003]
