Comparison recordings:
Firebird (1910 version):
Charles Dutoit, OSM. Decca 414 409-2
Firebird (Suite 1919):
Scherchen, RPO. [ADD mono] Westminster JVC MVCW-14032-3
Petrushka:
Michael Tilson Thomas, Philharmonia Orchestra CBS MK 37271
Petrushka:
Scherchen, Westminster The Legacy [ADD mono] DG 289 471
245-2
The Firebird ballet was Stravinsky’s first
international success; it is by modern standards remarkably
conservative, exhibiting the late-romantic lushness of Szymanowski
or even Richard Strauss. Phrases in Firebird recall
Stravinsky’s orchestral scherzo “Fireworks” Op 4 of 1904.
The narrative subject of the ballet is a Russian mythological
story about a prince and a princess menaced by strange magical
creatures but finding happiness together in the end.
This recording claims to be the world premiere
recording of the complete 1910 version of Firebird,
however that appears not to be correct, since the version
by Dutoit and the OSM is also listed as the 1910 version.
That version is actually two minutes longer in time than
Craft’s. Whether it is in some way incomplete I certainly
did not notice in listening to this version. The original
scoring was for a very large orchestra, and Stravinsky’s
motivation in 1919 in reducing the number of required instruments
to those customarily found in a symphony orchestra was to
secure more performances. In this he was sensationally
successful as the Firebird Suite is one of his most
frequently performed and recorded works. The main differences
between the scoring of this older version of the ballet
and the more familiar Suite appear to lie mainly
in woodwinds, percussion and brass — the notes to the Craft
version refer to the use of valveless trumpets — both additional
sounds and additional lines of counterpoint. Firebird
and L’Histoire du Soldat are the only Stravinsky
works that are better known as suites than in the complete
form.
This is a fine performance, keeping a rhythmic
forward motion while expressing the sensual textural richness
of the orchestral writing. Conductor Craft was for many
years a close associate of Stravinsky who demanded that
every detail of his scores be clearly audible. It is speculated
that Craft actually conducted many recorded performances
credited to Stravinsky; this is denied all around but the
rumour persists. Combined with the detail of five-channel
digital recording, re-mastered to DSD, this recording provides
a rich, deep, complex musical experience. Craft’s series
of complete recordings of the works of three composers he
was associated with — Stravinsky, Schoenberg, and Webern
— began years ago on the Musical Heritage Society/MusicMasters
label in the US, continued on Koch/Schwann, and now appears
to be the property of Naxos. So far these series have included
many fine recordings, but not always the finest of each
work, as many of Stravinsky’s works in particular have been
frequently recorded by eminent artists. For instance, Craft’s
recording of Stravinsky’s Violin Concerto is not
among the top three versions; I prefer Perlman and Ozawa
with the BSO.
Petrushka came right after Firebird and marks a change
in Stravinsky’s style. First, this is a tragic story about
death and unrequited love. Stravinsky never afterwards
wrote anything like that, returning to his usual remote
literary or mythological subjects and one is tempted to
wonder what personal resonances might be found here. The
heroine in Petrushka is a shallow unfeeling tart
who is infatuated with a huge brute of a man, neither of
whom notice the sufferings of the gentle Petrushka
who truly loves her, something she can’t understand. The
second remarkable effect in this score is the use of sonic
mood-painting in the last act to create a chaotic sense
of joyous excitement in the crowd at the circus, something
the precise, crystalline, Stravinsky never did again. I
agree with the Disney artists in “Fantasia;” the mood of
menace in Sacre du Printemps is intended for a world
without people. Petrushka actually began life as
a Concert Piece For Piano and Orchestra, but Diaghilev
persuaded Stravinsky to recast it as what became Stravinsky’s
most popular ballet, his other ballet scores being performed
mostly without dancing as concerted pieces; but Petrushka
is danced often.
Stravinsky quoted a well-known Russian song in
Petrushka only to discover to his horror that it
was still under copyright and was forced to share royalties
with that composer. The same thing happened decades later
when Stravinsky orchestrated Happy Birthday only
to discover that this tune, too, was still under copyright!
Michael Tilson Thomas is, like Craft, one of our
great conductors of modern music, particularly Stravinsky,
and he recorded Petrushka digitally with the same
orchestra nine years previously. Hermann Scherchen, another
of our greatest conductors of modern music, recorded both
the Firebird Suite and Petrushka with the
RPO in monophonic sound in 1954. If you had been present
at all three Petrushka recording sessions the Scherchen
would certainly be your first choice. Orchestra and conductor
were at the height of their powers. Westminster’s monophonic
recording technique featured extensive use of highlight
microphones to bring solo instruments out of the orchestra,
resulting in odd perspectives at times. Also, DG’s engineers,
in their high resolution re-mastering, have boosted the
highs to attempt to attain a spurious super brilliance;
you will want to roll off the high frequencies at about
4 db if your player allows it (if not, hang a light jacket
over each speaker). Tilson Thomas receives hesitant string
playing and adopts some odd tempi; he was still a young
firebrand, feeling his way, and although he was making great
recordings at this time, this was not one of them. Of the
digital Petrushka recordings, Craft is a clear winner.
For the Firebirds, Craft and Dutoit are
neck and neck in overall performance quality with Craft
perhaps slightly, but only slightly, ahead in sound. Scherchen
is just a bit rushed sounding in the “Danse de Kastcheï,”
but the patented Westminster percussion-in-your-face sound
is very exciting. Here the analogue-to-digital transfer
is by MCA/JVC and is balanced in the highs, but the bass
could use a 10 db boost (as could the OSM recording). On
the whole, this Craft disk is a winner. This is however
an excellent rather than a legendary recording; someone
is likely to better it soon. Watch this space.
Talking about Firebirds, if you somehow
missed the film “Fantasia 2000,” be sure to remedy that
omission soon; the final number, sections from the Firebird
Suite, is one of the very finest scenes in either Fantasia
film.
Paul Shoemaker
