A sharp x-ray of Stravinsky's delightful fable
Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 11/02/2007
(5 out of 5 stars)
"It's rare to recommend a recording chiefly for its spoken narration, but Laurent Manzoni, taking on every part in Stravinsky's parable, is riveting. French is a language perfectly suited to Stravinsky's elegant, sec Champagne idiom, but Manzoni offers plenty of dramatic impact. Jean Cocteau is more cosmopolitan and ironic on the classic Markevitch recording (Philips), but this practically unknown performance rises to the top of the heap.
Antonio Plotino is another unknown, but he leads the New Music Studium very well, lacking only the last measure of dramatic verve. However, the ultra-clear recorded sound is a big plus; we hear a virtual x-ray of Stravinsky's inventive chamber orchestration. The same virtues apply to the filler, the great wind Octet, all the more welcome because most versions of L'Histoire du soldat have no fill-up at all."