Search - Stravinsky, Temirkanov :: Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Petrov: The Creation of the World; Ravel: Daphnis et Chloé

WOW!!

07/27/2001

(5 out of 5 stars)

"It's odd that the listing for this disc mentions Ravel's music first (seeming, in fact, to imply that Daphnis was written by Stravinsky!), because far and away the main reason to own it is for the electrifying 1974 rendition of Stravinsky's Petrushka, a performance and a recording that have never been surpassed.You'll swear that each and every member of the Leningrad Philharmonic had a whole pot of strong coffee just prior to sitting down to make this recording, but the overcaffinated playing wouldn't mean much if it were just aimlessly frenetic. Yuri Temirkanov keeps a firm grip on his outstanding ensemble and on the "line" of this masterwork, such that where some moments have the thrilling feel of a headlong rush that may just end in disaster (but doesn't), others unfold with unhurried beauty. Truthfully this type of performance will simply be too bracing for the tastes of some, but I like my Russian music articulated with a strong Russian accent, and this orchestra understands Stravinsky's idiom and temperament as a matter of instinct, because - like him - they were born to it.For an early-1970s Soviet recording the audio engineering is exceptional - mostly quite clean and clear, if not as full-bodied as Western recordings of a comparable vintage. And again, the sound, like the performance, will simply be too brittle for some ears. For me, both are entirely in keeping with the spirit of early Stravinsky.Regretably the other contents of this disc do not come nearly as highly recommended. What makes Stravinsky great here is not as kind to Ravel; many versions of the Daphnis et Chloe Suite No. 2 are preferable to this one. And the Petrov work, I'm sorry to say, is simply undistinguished; it does not deserve to reside in this company.But this hardly matters. The CD is worth the price, and much more, for the opening half-hour of soaring, ecstatic brilliance."

One of the most thrilling Petrushka readings

Santa Fe Listener | Santa Fe, NM USA | 09/17/2005

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Nobody ever really does a bad Petrushka these days, but this one is simply spectacular. It's very Russian, meaning almost driven and without fussy refinements. The setting is rustic, folk-inpsired, not downtown Moscow. Temirkanov gets the orchestra to remain on fire from beginning to end, and although this style of super-dramatized Stravinsky wasn't at all what the composer favored, I can't imagine living without this performance. Excellent sonics, highlighting everything, but a bit bright in the upper ranges, especially a loud volume. The daphnis and chlore Suite was not of great interest to me, but Temirkanov is direct and rather plain compared to overly fussy readings that take us to erotic fairyland. In all, this is the most galvanic Stravinsky recording in quite a while, in my experience."