Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring

Product Details

Binding : Audio CD
EAN : 0028946803523
Label : Universal Classics
Number of Discs : 1
Product Group : Music
Release Date : 2001-09-07
Running Time : 55minutes
UPC : 028946803523

ASIN : B00005NIF6

Track Listings for

Disc-1
1. Introduction
2. The Augurs of Spring: Dances of the Young Girls
3. Ritual of Abduction
4. Spring Rounds
5. Ritual of the Rival Tribes
6. Procession of the Sage
7. The Sage
8. Dance of the Earth
9. Introduction
10. Mystic Circles of the Young Girls
11. Glorification of the Chosen One
12. Evocation of the Ancestors
13. Ritual Action of the Ancestors
14. Sacrificial Dance (The Chosen One)
15. Le Poème de l'Extase, Op.54

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Editorial Reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review

Stravinsky's Rite of Spring and Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy are, in many ways, the perfect coupling. Both works are, in their way, extreme, and both works suit Gergiev's unparalleled ability for penetrating to the heart of a score. He paints the Rite of Spring in vivid, almost garish colours, at all times reading the score afresh. Philips' superb recording successfully conveys both the visceral impact of "Spring Rounds" and the sheer raw energy of "Augurs of Spring". There is a sense of inevitability about the "Ritual Dance of the Ancestors"; the Sacrificial Dance, which follows, has its tension heightened because of (rather than despite) Gergiev's slightly deliberate tread. Scriabin's Poem of Ecstasy is late romanticism writ large. Above and beyond the perfumed sonorities, Gergiev identifies and projects an underlying disquiet, from the dark trumpet figures through to the shattering climax. At times the Kirov Orchestra is positively luminous. It is Gergiev's long-range grasp of the piece that is most impressive: the resultant cumulative effect is close to overpowering. --Colin Clarke

Customer Reviews

Rough Hewn Rite - the essence of the work (2003-10-18)

Valery Gergiev is a passionate conductor and it is somewhat of a surprise to hear his interpretation of Stravinsky's landmark work. This is an unusally quiet, brooding birth, less the outwardly dramatic, sonic bursting performances to which we've grown accustomed. While we wait for what Salonen and the LA Phil do with this work in the new acoutically wondrous Disney Hall in Los Angeles there is much to be learned and absorbed by this magnificently understated recording. Gergiev presents the ballet score more as a symphonic poem, uncovering many delicate moments rarely heard in this masterpiece. Not that he is afraid of massive outbursts - those are captured by him in this spacious recording brilliantly. The Kirov Orchestra obviously has played this piece countless times, evident in the inner voices of the orchestra sounding so completely secure. Just take the time to listen to this performance in a darkened room at night, and the effect is astonishingly mysterious and strangely "beautiful". The Scriabin without the light effects has always seemed to me to be a work truly created for the recording industry! There is little structure to POEM OF ECSTASY but it is brimming over in lush colors and eroticism. Not a great work, but Gergiev plays it for all its kitschy goodness and makes it wholly believable. This recording of the POEM is a gold standard for orchestral colors.

an explosive and gripping interpretation (2002-01-18)

I thoroughly recommend this CD. Gergiev brings outthe intense drama and theatricality of this landmark of 20th century Music.

If you thought you knew it I would recommend buying this and listening to it. You're in for a shock!

From the opening it takes hold of you and casts you into a maelstrom of imagination and musical inventiveness. That Stravinsky was a genius is rarely disputed. This piece, with all its gory detail, its hypnotic rhythmns and raging dissonances, is undoubtedly a masterpiece of contemporary classical music.

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