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| |  | Religion & Spirituality | Home » » » Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring; The Firebird Suite (1919) / Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20 | | | | | | | Product Promotions: | | | | | Product Details: | | | Audio CD Release Date:
| February 24, 2004 | | Studio:
| Sony | | Composer:
| Igor Stravinsky, Sergei Prokofiev | | Conductor:
| Leonard Bernstein | | Orchestra:
| London Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic Orchestra | | Number Of Discs:
| 1 | | Format:
| Extra tracks, Original recording remastered | | Average Customer Rating:
|  based on 13 reviews |
| | | Track Listing: | | | 1. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Adoration of the Earth. Introduction. Lento | | 2. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. The Spring Divinations - Dances of the Young Gi | | 3. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Mock Abduction | | 4. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Spring Round Dances | | 5. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Games of the Rival Tribes | | 6. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Procession of the Wise Elder | | 7. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 1. Dance of the Earth | | 8. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. The Sacrifice. Introduction. Largo | | 9. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. The Sacrifice. Mystical Circles of the Young Gi | | 10. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. The Sacrifice. Glorification of the Chosen Vict | | 11. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. The Sacrifice. Summoning of the Ancestors | | 12. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. The Sacrifice. Ritual of the Ancestors | | 13. | Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra: Part. 2. Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen Victim) | | 14. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: Introduction | | 15. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: The Firebird and its Dance | | 16. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: Variation of the Firebird | | 17. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: The Princesses' Round | | 18. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: Infernal Dance of King Kaschei | | 19. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: Lullaby | | 20. | L'oiseau de feu (The Firebird), concert suite for orchestra No. 2: Finale | | 21. | Scythian Suite, for orchestra, Op. 20: I. The Adoration of Veles and Ala | | 22. | Scythian Suite, for orchestra, Op. 20: II. The Enemy God and the Dance of the Black Spirits | | 23. | Scythian Suite, for orchestra, Op. 20: III. Night | | 24. | Scythian Suite, for orchestra, Op. 20: IV. The Glorious Departure of Lolli and the Procession of the Sun | |
| | | Customer Reviews: | |
Average Customer Review:
 ( 13 customer reviews )
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
35 of 40 found the following review helpful:
 Commonplace "Rite"... and a TERRIFIC "Firebird"Jul 25, 2005
By Shota Hanai
It's a pity for me for this album to put the 70s recording Lenny did with the LSO on Stravinsky's revolutionary "Rite of Spring" instead of the performance he did with the NYPO about a decade earlier.
The 60s recording (which sadly may be only available in the "Royal Edition" series) remains on of my favorite performance of the "Rite" (along with the "Fast and the Furious" Ozawa's with the CSO on RCA), because it has more brashness in the music, more savagery, more tension. His interpretation is far more extraordinary compared to this recording in this album. The extra "ornaments" Lenny added to further exxagerate the wildness and primitiveness in the 60s recording has competely disappeared in this performance, making a more commonplace, even tamed, performance. Same goes with the 80s performance on DG with the Isreal Phil.
Lenny's performance "Firebird" Suite, on the other hand... is an electrifying 5 Star performance... THE main attraction of the album, not the 70s "Rite". This recording was done in the 60s with the NYPO, so there is more youthness and vigor in the performance. While the sound quality is not at its best, the performace is as hot as it can get. You will especially love the climax of the "Infernal Dance" and the "Finale". The only other recording I equally love is Claudio Abbado's performance with the LSO on DG, powerful in its own way... and more crystal-clear).
Proikofiev's "Scythian Suite" (the Bonus tracks) is another plus in this album. The "Dance of the Dark Spirits" is especially thrilling, as Lenny actually takes the tempo a bit faster compared to most other performances, including Abbado on DG and Jarvi on Chandos.
P.S. - Do you notice the "Jaws" theme hidden under the movment?
3 of 3 found the following review helpful:
 Still One Of The Top Readings of "The Rite of Spring"Sep 13, 2009
By J. Rich
Leonard Bernstein turns an absolutely scorching reading of "The Rite of Spring" in this recording for Sony. What this reading manages to do is leave the listener on the edge of his/her chair anticipating the next phrase. It's savage, it's brutal, it's completely raw, this is where Bernstein excelled in my opinion. This is "The Rite.." with a kind of high-octane engine. The London Symphony Orchestra should be commended for their performance. It will leave you breathless.
The other selections Stravinsky's "The Firebird Suite" and Prokofiev's "Scythian Suite" are also fantastic performances, but it's "The Rite" that steals the show here. I still return to this one and I own most of them: Chailly, Ozawa, Tilson Thomas, Dutoit, Ansermet, Boulez, Salonen, and Stravinsky's own conducting performance. Highly recommended.
7 of 9 found the following review helpful:
Three Le Sacres from BernsteinOct 01, 2005
By Santa Fe Listener
In the Royal Edition of Bernstein's recordings with the NY Phil., there was a hair-raising Le Sacre dating from 1958 in vivid sound with lots of impact and incredibly virtuosic playing. This was followed by a surround-sound remake with the London Sym. in 1972 as the fflagship for Columbia's attempt to promote "quadraphoonic sound," a multi-channel successor to stereo which never cuaght on.
The first recording occasioned a "wow" from Stravinsky in one of his memoirs (no doubt in part being ironic). The second recordingt is just as splashy and extroverted, although I prefer 1958 as the more flexible and less blatantly aimed at audiophiles. Both are wonderful and show off Bernstein's exuberance at its best, along with his incredible rhythmic sense. When Boulez arrived at the Philharmonic and recorded Le sacre in 1974, it was like going from a primitive riot to the doctor's office.
This CD in updated sound is the second reading from 1972, now in two channels, the 1958 being out of print--you can track down a Royal Edition copy on the used market usually. The Israel Phil. version made for DG in the Eighties--I don't have the exact date since I threw away the CD--is a parody of the young Bernstein by the old one, and the orchestra is far from being able to master the score.
P.S. 2010 - The Amazon reviewer, in an attempt to sound knowing, says that conductors still get lost in Le sacre, including big name conductors. Could she name some? Modern orchestras of the first and second rank can play the score almost without conductor, and recently Gustavo Dudamel released a riveting recording with his Simon Bolivar Youth Orch.(DG).
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
Bernstein's Stravinsky: The Rite of SpringNov 30, 2010
By Music Dimension
This is an exciting recording conducted by Leonard Bernstein. Bernstein manages an incredible amount of energy from the orchestra. The only disappointment is that the production values of the recording don't match current standards, as the recording is somewhat dated. Still, it is a good rendition of The Rite of Spring and The Firebird Suite. I recommend it.
1 of 1 found the following review helpful:
My first classical albumFeb 05, 2009
By L. Powell
Up until now, I had never owned a classical album, or ever been interested in one. But a few days before I got this amazing album, I noticed that the "Finale" of "The Firebird Suite" served as an introduction to one of my favorite live album, Yes's "Yessongs". I thought that the song was great, so I started looking more into Stravinsky, and ultimately found this album.
The sound quality is astoundingly good, considering that "The Firebird Suite" was recorded in 1957, "Scythian Suite" in 1964, and "The Rite of Spring" in 1972. All of the songs were great, but the surprise for me was the bonus song, "Scythian Suite". At many points in the song, it is actually more intense than Stravinsky's songs.
Overall, this is a great album, especially if this is the first classical album you are looking into.
See all 13 customer reviews on Amazon.com
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