Search - Stokowski :: Stravinsky:Petrouchka/Firebird Suite

Stokowski is in good form, but the dated sonics are quite ba

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 01/02/2009

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Even for a committed Stokowski admirer, this CD may be a miss. All four recordings were made in 1957, but the two major works -- the Firebird and Petrushka Suites -- are in dreadful sound, so muffled that you could be hearing the Berlin Phil. through a closed door or with a towel over your ears. In addition, the distant microphone placement dulls the impact of brass and percussion that seem half a football field away.



As for the performances, what one can hear of them, they display Stokowski's abundant energy and his ability to draw color from an orchestra. This is particularly true in the Firebird, which was one of the conductor's specialties. Petrushka, however, feels rather like a run-through. In his haste Stokowski skips over countless chances to offer insights, and high energy isn't sufficient compensation.



The two Debussy fillers, also from 1957 but in New York rather than Berlin, sound considerably brighter. They have been reissued several times before. The Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun, done with members of the NY Phil. and their long-time first flutist, Julius Baker, is a classic recording -- sinuous and voluptuous, with just the right dash of dramatic tension -- but I'm not sure it's worth the price of an entire CD."