Chez Stravinsky

Started by karlhenning, April 09, 2007, 08:24:18 AM

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Karl Henning

Before wading into it, though, I am making my way again through the Sony box.  There must be some redundancy, but I haven't decided if I care
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Roasted Swan

Quote from: Mirror Image on April 13, 2021, 06:44:05 AM
I own a few Stravinsky Järvi recordings and, to be honest, it's like oil and water. The two just don't go together. It's been so long since I've listened to any of his Stravinsky, but I get the impression that his performances of the earlier works are better than the middle and late period works. He doesn't do 'cool detachment' really well and especially in the Neoclassical works, you have to be careful and not let things get heated up to the point where emotion is more important than allowing the clean lines to come through unfettered. So, no, I never thought of him as a good Stravinskian.

I've been thinking more about your "oil and water" remark.  Not specifically regarding Jarvi/Stravinsky or these particular works since, as I said I don't know them except through this disc.  But I think I disagree with the basic premise of your comment.  If I interpret you correctly, it seems that you feel the only or at least preferable approach to neo-classicism is "cool detachment".  While I'd agree that is a legitimate/prevalent approach I do not think it should be the only way.  To my mind that risks too neatly compartmentalising a musical genre/style.  Surely there will always being multiple ways of approaching any piece and for me part of the interest is where the genre boundaries blur. 

So if you take neo-classicism I like the way that very different composers arrived at that common ground - whether Zemlinsky from his Post-Romantic standpoint, Roussel from Impressionism or Stravinsky himself.  But surely each also brings a legacy of their earlier style too?  If that is the case, an interpreter can legitimately bring out that legacy so perhaps Jarvi can rightly point to elements in Stravinsky's earlier music that 'allows' his emotional approach in these later works too...?  Of course there is a counter argument that Stravinsky was a master at reinventing himself as a composer almost as a lizard will shed a skin....

Anyway, it gave me an interesting cause to reflect on this thought.......

DavidW

MI's post seems to indicate that he is specifically describing Stravinsky's neoclassical works as sounding cool and detached not neoclassicism as a whole.  You're making sweeping generalizations that MI never committed to.

Mirror Image

#1343
Quote from: Roasted Swan on April 14, 2021, 03:14:09 AM
I've been thinking more about your "oil and water" remark.  Not specifically regarding Jarvi/Stravinsky or these particular works since, as I said I don't know them except through this disc.  But I think I disagree with the basic premise of your comment.  If I interpret you correctly, it seems that you feel the only or at least preferable approach to neo-classicism is "cool detachment".  While I'd agree that is a legitimate/prevalent approach I do not think it should be the only way.  To my mind that risks too neatly compartmentalising a musical genre/style.  Surely there will always being multiple ways of approaching any piece and for me part of the interest is where the genre boundaries blur. 

So if you take neo-classicism I like the way that very different composers arrived at that common ground - whether Zemlinsky from his Post-Romantic standpoint, Roussel from Impressionism or Stravinsky himself.  But surely each also brings a legacy of their earlier style too?  If that is the case, an interpreter can legitimately bring out that legacy so perhaps Jarvi can rightly point to elements in Stravinsky's earlier music that 'allows' his emotional approach in these later works too...?  Of course there is a counter argument that Stravinsky was a master at reinventing himself as a composer almost as a lizard will shed a skin....

Anyway, it gave me an interesting cause to reflect on this thought.......

Stravinsky's style (or 'brand' if you will) of Neoclassicism is that if you force your emotions on these particular works, there's bound to be an imbalance in the music and, thus, for me at least, will make for a strange listening experience. Of course, Neoclassicism in general, can approached and has been approached in a myriad of different ways, but with Stravinsky it seems that he had a certain sound in mind. Am I saying that if you overheat these Stravinsky Neoclassical works that it will ruin the performance? Yes, but sometimes it can be pulled off, but it does seem that the way Stravinsky conducted these particular works is how they're supposed to sound. You simply can't pull a Kondrashin on Orpheus for example. It just doesn't work and will never work, IMHO. Anyway, that's my own take on Stravinsky Neoclassical interpretations and why I mentioned Neeme Järvi as being a prime candidate to ruin the flow of these works which would most certainly rob it of its jewel-like opulence. Järvi could get away with his usual, heart-on-sleeve approach in Le Sacre or The Firebird because these are works that call for more emotional and musical heft from the conductor/orchestra. The interpretation can be more on the lax side. And yes, Stravinsky was one of classical music's greatest chameleons.

ritter

#1344
Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on April 13, 2021, 12:52:17 PM
As my appetite was whetted by the images Rafael was posting on the Stravinsky anniversary, this looked too good not to fetch in.  It has landed, in all its magnificence
Hope you enjoy this set as much as I do, Karl:)

It's  worthy presentation of the recorded legacy of one of the great composers of all time and, as I already said, one of the glories of the history of recorded music (even if some individual recordings are far from perfect—e.g., the mono Pulcinella from Cleveland verges on the disastrous IMHO).

Karl Henning

Quote from: ritter on April 14, 2021, 09:37:00 AM
Hope you enjoy this set as much as I do, Karl:)

It's  worthy presentation of the recorded legacy of one of the great composers of all time and, as I already said, one of the glories of the history of recorded music (even if some individual recordings are far from perfect—e.g., the mono Pulcinella from Cleveland verges on the disastrous IMHO).

Cheers, Rafael!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Karl Henning

Cross-post

Stravinsky

CDs 16 & 17
The Rake's Progress


My feeling for this has been that I admire it more than love it (although there are passages, of course) Not ready to etch that in stone, but the needle did not move, this week.
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

Wow...there hasn't been a post in Stravinsky's thread since April? :o

Anyway, time to break that trend with a short review I wrote on the Chailly box set:



Title: A Remarkable Box --- All Of Chailly's Stravinsky Under The Same Roof

First, let me say that the people who have complained about this box set's packaging are incredibly nit-picky and really should be grateful that such a box like this exists in the first-place, especially given the reliance of many listeners have on streaming services nowadays and how little importance they place on the physical medium, which I think is a travesty as I'd rather own the physical product any day of week. Why are CDs or LPs so important? Because they give us snapshots into the history a musician's career and allow us to follow their development through time, but also how their views have changed of the composer's music they perform. This is why they're important and will remain important to those of us who value the music. Anyway, stepping off my soapbox...this Stravinsky Chailly box set is absolutely top-notch. For those who missed these performances the first-time around and don't feel like tracking down used copies of original issues then this would be your one-stop shop. I'm not going to talk about individual performances as someone else can do that, but I think this set is absolutely essential for any fan of Stravinsky. BUY IT NOW! What are you waiting for?

Mirror Image

Quote from: k a rl h e nn i ng on April 16, 2021, 06:58:42 AM
Cross-post

Stravinsky

CDs 16 & 17
The Rake's Progress


My feeling for this has been that I admire it more than love it (although there are passages, of course) Not ready to etch that in stone, but the needle did not move, this week.

And it wasn't long after the premiere of The Rake's Progress where the composer had an emotional breakdown claiming that he has nothing else to say in music. Believing that this opera to be his last work. Enter Serialist period Stravinsky. 8)

Mirror Image

#1349
This looks like an interesting new release:



This is a 5-CD set that contains all of Stravinsky's solo piano works including his arrangements for solo piano of various works. This set looks like it's the only one of its kind. Here's a some information about it:

Alexey Zuev has a very special relationship with Stravinsky's music. From the age of seven, it entered his musical universe like a premonition, when he unknowingly 'composed' a piece that bore astonishing similarities to Petrushka. Five years later, he discovered the 'real' Stravinsky and his music never left him.

At the current stage of his career, it was an obvious choice for him to embark on this large-scale recording adventure: recording the complete piano works of the composer who has shaped him so much musically. A veritable marathon of recordings was then almost miraculously put in place, despite the complications presented by the pandemic.

The 5 discs that result from this formidable journey contain, among other things, a series of arrangements and transcriptions for piano made by the composer himself that have never been recorded and have even remained completely unknown. This is a significant discovery that sheds new light on this aspect of Stravinsky's work.

Produced with the support of the Foundation Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky Family Fund & Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation, the boxed set is remarkably illustrated with previously unpublished photographs that immerse the listener in the world of those years of creative experimentation and innovation that made this music what it is today.

rbd

Hello. I'm new to the forum, and have been a fan of Stravinsky's music since I was a teenager. I was mostly interested in rock music at the time, and found myself drawn to classical music. I didn't know where to start, and read about this work that started a riot. Hmm, let's start there was my thought.

Thanks for posting about this release. I agree, it looks veryinteresting and will be a must purchase.

Randall

bhodges

Hi Randall, and welcome. Feel free to post more about Stravinsky, or any other topics that catch your eye. Lots of fans of rock music here, who also like classical.

--Bruce

Karl Henning

Quote from: rbd on May 25, 2022, 05:58:09 PM
Hello. I'm new to the forum, and have been a fan of Stravinsky's music since I was a teenager. I was mostly interested in rock music at the time, and found myself drawn to classical music. I didn't know where to start, and read about this work that started a riot. Hmm, let's start there was my thought.

Thanks for posting about this release. I agree, it looks veryinteresting and will be a must purchase.

Randall

Welcome, Randall!
Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot

Mirror Image

Quote from: rbd on May 25, 2022, 05:58:09 PM
Hello. I'm new to the forum, and have been a fan of Stravinsky's music since I was a teenager. I was mostly interested in rock music at the time, and found myself drawn to classical music. I didn't know where to start, and read about this work that started a riot. Hmm, let's start there was my thought.

Thanks for posting about this release. I agree, it looks veryinteresting and will be a must purchase.

Randall

Welcome aboard, Randall. That work that started a riot you're thinking of is Le sacre du printemps, which is still a piece that I get fired up about because it's so exciting and primitive. What are some of your favorite works from Stravinsky?

rbd

Thank you all for the warm welcome! i had done an internet search to see if I could find a Stravinsky forum, and found this thread. It has been wonderful reading!

My first Stravinsky recording was Le Sacre, the Colin Davis recording with the LSO in 1963. Why that one? It was the only one at my local record store. Also my introduction to Philips pressings which were amazingly quiet. I still have a soft spot for that recording, even though there are others that I listen to more often.

Favorite Stravinsky works? That changes hourly, but here are a few that come to mind:

1) The Owl and the Pussycat. I can't hear that one enough.It shows how odd my brain is. (Aspergers).

2) Les Noces. I've been going through the various recordings, each one has something to offer. I've been trying to find a complete recording of the 1919 version, but no luck yet. Rex Lawson said he had one that he had performed and was offering it to people at his website. I reached out and sent an email, but alas I didn't get a response.

3) Symphonies of Wind Instruments. I'm not a score follower, so I don't really understand the differences between the 1920 version and the 1947 version, just love the work.

4) Septet. Wonderful dissonant writing...

5) Movements for Piano & Orchestra.

6) Petrushka. That (I think) was the second Stravinsky record that I bought (way back in the day), and still love it.

7) Had to add Threni & Requiem Canticles.

I'm going to stop now ore I will just list all of his works. ;D

This will change in about an hour, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment. And thanks Mirror Image for the lead on the Piano Transcription Disc, I purchased a download and look forward to digging into this over the next couple of days.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

Randall



Mirror Image

Quote from: rbd on May 25, 2022, 08:46:09 PM
Thank you all for the warm welcome! i had done an internet search to see if I could find a Stravinsky forum, and found this thread. It has been wonderful reading!

My first Stravinsky recording was Le Sacre, the Colin Davis recording with the LSO in 1963. Why that one? It was the only one at my local record store. Also my introduction to Philips pressings which were amazingly quiet. I still have a soft spot for that recording, even though there are others that I listen to more often.

Favorite Stravinsky works? That changes hourly, but here are a few that come to mind:

1) The Owl and the Pussycat. I can't hear that one enough.It shows how odd my brain is. (Aspergers).

2) Les Noces. I've been going through the various recordings, each one has something to offer. I've been trying to find a complete recording of the 1919 version, but no luck yet. Rex Lawson said he had one that he had performed and was offering it to people at his website. I reached out and sent an email, but alas I didn't get a response.

3) Symphonies of Wind Instruments. I'm not a score follower, so I don't really understand the differences between the 1920 version and the 1947 version, just love the work.

4) Septet. Wonderful dissonant writing...

5) Movements for Piano & Orchestra.

6) Petrushka. That (I think) was the second Stravinsky record that I bought (way back in the day), and still love it.

7) Had to add Threni & Requiem Canticles.

I'm going to stop now ore I will just list all of his works. ;D

This will change in about an hour, but these are the ones that come to mind at the moment. And thanks Mirror Image for the lead on the Piano Transcription Disc, I purchased a download and look forward to digging into this over the next couple of days.

Thanks again for the warm welcome!

Randall

Great stuff, Randall. I love all those works. It's difficult for me to find a Stravinsky work that I flat-out despise. I think he always thought about what he was writing and it was quite meticulous in this writing process. You're welcome! You'll have to post some your thoughts here about that solo piano set whenever you get around to hearing some of it. I'll be curious to know your thoughts!

staxomega

#1356
Quote from: Mirror Image on May 25, 2022, 04:41:55 PM
This looks like an interesting new release:



This is a 5-CD set that contains all of Stravinsky's solo piano works including his arrangements for solo piano of various works. This set looks like it's the only one of its kind. Here's a some information about it:

Alexey Zuev has a very special relationship with Stravinsky's music. From the age of seven, it entered his musical universe like a premonition, when he unknowingly 'composed' a piece that bore astonishing similarities to Petrushka. Five years later, he discovered the 'real' Stravinsky and his music never left him.

At the current stage of his career, it was an obvious choice for him to embark on this large-scale recording adventure: recording the complete piano works of the composer who has shaped him so much musically. A veritable marathon of recordings was then almost miraculously put in place, despite the complications presented by the pandemic.

The 5 discs that result from this formidable journey contain, among other things, a series of arrangements and transcriptions for piano made by the composer himself that have never been recorded and have even remained completely unknown. This is a significant discovery that sheds new light on this aspect of Stravinsky's work.

Produced with the support of the Foundation Igor Stravinsky, Stravinsky Family Fund & Kira A. Princess of Prussia Foundation, the boxed set is remarkably illustrated with previously unpublished photographs that immerse the listener in the world of those years of creative experimentation and innovation that made this music what it is today.

MI, have you heard this or was the above part of a press blurb? If the part I bolded was your impression I'm more interested in the set. To be honest if there were any small scale Stravinsky gems left hidden I'd prefer if they were chamber music and not solo keyboard :) Oh my god I was obsessively playing early Quartetto Italiano's recording of 3 Pieces for String Quartet when their box came out, such a phenomenal performance.

Quote from: Mirror Image on January 01, 2022, 08:23:18 PM
Wow...there hasn't been a post in Stravinsky's thread since April? :o

Anyway, time to break that trend with a short review I wrote on the Chailly box set:



Title: A Remarkable Box --- All Of Chailly's Stravinsky Under The Same Roof

First, let me say that the people who have complained about this box set's packaging are incredibly nit-picky and really should be grateful that such a box like this exists in the first-place, especially given the reliance of many listeners have on streaming services nowadays and how little importance they place on the physical medium, which I think is a travesty as I'd rather own the physical product any day of week. Why are CDs or LPs so important? Because they give us snapshots into the history a musician's career and allow us to follow their development through time, but also how their views have changed of the composer's music they perform. This is why they're important and will remain important to those of us who value the music. Anyway, stepping off my soapbox...this Stravinsky Chailly box set is absolutely top-notch. For those who missed these performances the first-time around and don't feel like tracking down used copies of original issues then this would be your one-stop shop. I'm not going to talk about individual performances as someone else can do that, but I think this set is absolutely essential for any fan of Stravinsky. BUY IT NOW! What are you waiting for?

Big +1 to everything you said. Will play The Rake's Progress later this evening (original US London CD set with the full libretto)

How can anyone complain about that box, it showed us that Chailly likes to rehearse in a velvet track suit  :laugh:

Mirror Image

Quote from: hvbias on May 27, 2022, 05:01:19 PM
MI, have you heard this or was the above part of a press blurb? If the part I bolded was your impression I'm more interested in the set. To be honest if there were any small scale Stravinsky gems left hidden I'd prefer if they were chamber music and not solo keyboard :) Oh my god I was obsessively playing early Quartetto Italiano's recording of 3 Pieces for String Quartet when their box came out, such a phenomenal performance.

Big +1 to everything you said. Will play The Rake's Progress later this evening (original US London CD set with the full libretto)

How can anyone complain about that box, it showed us that Chailly likes to rehearse in a velvet track suit  :laugh:

It was a part of the press blurb. I haven't heard anything from this set nor have I purchased it. Like you, I'd love more chamber work from Stravinsky, but, sadly, that's just not in the cards. He actually didn't compose much solo piano music either --- it should be more like two discs really if we were to omit all of the transcriptions he made, which appear in this new set.

People's complaints about the Stravinsky Chailly box set make zero sense to me. It's just bitching for the sake of it. I realize you can't please everyone, but there's absolutely NOTHING objectionable about the packaging of this set. Whether someone likes/dislikes Chailly's performances is another matter entirely.

Lisztianwagner

Has anyone had the chance to listen to this recently released recording?



I was rather impressed by his set of Sibelius symphonies, so I was curious to hear Mäkelä's approach to Stravinsky. I've only listened to The Rite of Spring so far, but I liked it very much; Mäkelä's interpretation is fresh, vibrant, but also meticulous about the reconstruction of the textures, very convincing in my opinion; there's such an energy through all the performance that is very explosive at times, the orchestral sound is colourful and intense, though the instrumental sections are very well balanced and stand out with clarity and precision, to create an immersive atmosphere; the rhythms are compelling too. Awe inspiring performance.
"Tradition is not the worship of ashes, but the preservation of fire." - Gustav Mahler

Karl Henning

Quote from: karlhenning on April 09, 2007, 08:38:27 AMAll right, I was lured into continuing with Dostoyevsky, and now I cannot put Crime & Punishment down (or at least, there are days when I don't pick it up, but I won't pick up any book other until I've finished this re-read).

But once I get to the end of that novel, I'm taking back up:

Stravinsky 
A Creative Spring: Russia and France 1882–1934

by Stephen Walsh

The search for this thread resulted in my finding this antique post.

But the real reason I sought the thread was to post this, which I found on YouTube as a result of Luke's example in the Mystery Score thread.

Karl Henning, Ph.D.
Composer & Clarinetist
Boston MA
http://www.karlhenning.com/
[Matisse] was interested neither in fending off opposition,
nor in competing for the favor of wayward friends.
His only competition was with himself. — Françoise Gilot