This set first appeared
on the Teldec label in the early 1990s, and has been available
on lower-price release before this Apex edition, receiving,
as runner-up, mention in the budget section of one of BBC Radio
3’s ‘Building a Library’ reviews, in this case concentrating
on Le Sacre. I suspect a recommendation would always
be in order with this release considering the amount of ‘filler’
material you receive, that is, if The Rite of Spring is
all you’re after. As recordings it was however more the ‘budget’
aspect of this set which drove most of my positive considerations
– it’s not bad, but strictly speaking, it’s not that great either.
The recordings are
modern – dynamic and clean as you’d expect. There is an element
of artificiality about the mixing which made me a little uneasy
on more than one occasion. Cymbals and percussion which leap
out at you and tambourines being shaken under your nose in Petrouchka
for one thing, and winds which sometimes seem to be in a
jumbled heap in Le Sacre. There are some funny edits
as well, with a truncated piccolo 0:52 into ‘The Moor’s Room’
of Petrouchka and very strange squeaky one 2:38 into
the Augurs of Spring (Le Sacre).
Petrouchka works
reasonably well, and there are some impressive moments – the
crowd during the ‘Shrove Tide Fair (towards evening)’ is one
such. The playing is OK in general, but you rarely get the sense
of the whole thing gelling and becoming really inspired. Tempi
are just a fraction slower than anything really exciting, and
as a result the tensions and drama one hopes from this score
are always a bit soggy and underdone. ‘The Dance of the coachmen
and grooms’ for instance, has a leaden tread which never really
takes off. The fairground barrel organ’s player seems rather
sleepy as well, and if the strings’ entry is going to wake him
up then it will only be to ask for a refund, or for some more
rehearsal time in future.
Stravinsky’s youthful
Fireworks, a sort of “sorcerer’s apprentice meets the
flight of the bumble-bee” is an enjoyable romp, which demonstrates
the young composer’s skills in orchestration – the Philharmonia
coming through the test pretty well, though the sterile studio
environment doesn’t help things along much. Its earlier partner,
the Scherzo fantastique, is another admirable apprenticeship,
and the orchestra and conductor seem comfortable with its Tchaikovskian
idiom at the conclusion to this well-filled twofer.
Talking environments,
the orchestra moves to The Maltings in Snape for Le Sacre
du printemps. This is a bigger sounding barn for an altogether
larger musical canvas, but with intonation as an issue from
the start I was less than impressed with the ‘Introduction’.
I’m not so sure the tempi are such a problem in this piece,
and there is some wicked brass and some impressively recorded
drum thwacks which will keep woofer-watchers happy. I just couldn’t
quite square the circle as far as making this entirely convincing
ballet music. I’m sure it would have made an excellent concert,
but I somehow couldn’t quite ‘see’ the action developing in
front of me. None of the more atmospheric rituals really thrilled
or chilled me, but I do have to admit that the orchestra is
in its element with louder climaxes, such as the rougher splendour
of the ‘rival tribes’, although I did feel a little let down
by the percussion later on in this movement – very ‘B movie’.
I had a listen to
Stravinsky’s own 1962 Columbia Symphony Orchestra recording,
and was unsurprised to be reminded of the plentiful little crackses
and oopses which crop up in this elder statesman of the catalogue.
It is however notable how much more briskly the composer takes
his orchestra through most of the music. Inbal’s tempo makes
that strange brass passage, 2:19 into the second Introduction
sound like a wrong note – in Stravinsky’s reading it’s more
of a blue one, and points to a more swinging sacrifice in general.
Inbal’s Glorification of the chosen one is a hi-fi spectacular,
but brutal and goose-stepping, where Stravinsky’s spirals and
spins in a dizzying dance. Inbal and Stravinsky agree almost
to the second in their timing of the final Danse sacrale,
but the composer has his players screaming the tension, with
a sense of suffering which always brings a lump to my throat.
Inbal’s Philharmonia has a great deal of poise and rhythmic
punch, but I know which one I’d pick for my desert island.
The second disc
of this set has the complete ballet, L’Oiseau de feu,
whose composition preceded the Rite of Spring by three years,
announcing Stravinsky’s arrival and confirming his status on
the Paris scene. As with Petrouchka, there is a great
deal of good playing here, but the whole thing just seems to
lack that last ounce of oomph, the final lick of polish which
would have made the lines shimming and luminous. On what do
I base these vague criticisms? Sometimes, I admit, it is hard
to pin down exactly. I still have issues with the recording,
which spotlights too brightly on occasions. Again, comparing
with Stravinsky in 1962 with the Columbia Symphony Orchestra,
Inbal allows himself the indulgence of a generally lower set
of tempi, so the proportion of the work tends to drag rather
than sweep one along in a state of exotic passion. Stravinsky
also shows how much more light and shade there can be found
in the score, with moods dark and threatening contrasting with
those quicksilver shafts of dancing light, driving the narrative
on to beyond the players limits in places. We just don’t get
that level of depth and excitement with Inbal.
As a one-size-fits-all
entry into the world of Stravinsky’s three great early ballets,
I would say this set has the highest level of convenience to recommend
it. The orchestral sound is detailed and indeed often spectacular,
and less crusty and critical listeners will find a great deal
to enjoy. I would however say that this is more like the version
that you might snap up at the airport, rather than one you will
have selected after careful consideration and comparison – one
with which to travel, rather than to treasure: jet-set consumer
Stravinsky, which is probably just what the publishers wanted.
Dominy Clements
Philharmonia
Orchestra/Eliahu Inbal 
