Looking for "Firebird" complete ballet

[m***@cpacker.org]

I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

[t***@hotmail.com]

If you try Ozawa, I recommend "Orch.De Paris" ver.

[Frank Berger]

Post by m***@cpacker.org
I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

Don't know about Ozawa, but I am more than happy with Tilson
Thomas and the SFSO. Available here:

https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-LOiseau-Sacre-Printemps-Persephone/dp/B00000IOCZ

[msw design]

Post by Frank Berger

Post by m***@cpacker.org
I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

Don't know about Ozawa, but I am more than happy with Tilson
https://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-LOiseau-Sacre-Printemps-Persephone/dp/B00000IOCZ

I like this, too. That's a steal at those used prices.

[msw design]

Three CDs of MTT's Stravinsky for $8 or $22+ for the Litton disc. That's an easy choice.

[msw design]

Post by m***@cpacker.org
I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

Two more suggestions:

Litton/Bergen
https://www.classicstoday.com/review/littons-firebird-really-smokes/

There is also a video of Boulez conducting the CSO whihc sounds great, though my memory of it is a few years old:

https://www.amazon.com/Musik-Trienniale-Koln-2000-Stravinsky/dp/B00005QBZ1/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=firebird+boulez+chicago&qid=1597105368&sr=8-1#customerReviews

[s***@gmail.com]

Dutton is bring out Boulez’s 1975 quad recording with the NYPO. IMO one of Boulez’s best recordings!

Stan Punzel

[Raymond Hall]

Post by s***@gmail.com
Dutton is bring out Boulez’s 1975 quad recording with the NYPO. IMO one of Boulez’s best recordings!
Stan Punzel

The last recording Ansermet made (in 1968) with the New Philharmonia was of the original 1910 version of the Firebird, and at Eloquence price ($15), is well worth considering. Comes with a rehearsal disk as well.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Sol L. Siegel]

Dutton is bring out Boulez’s 1975 quad recording with the NYPO. IMO
one of Boulez’s best recordings!
Stan Punzel

I have this Dutton SACD. If you can play SACD, get it. This is possibly
the best recording Boulez ever made, certainly as good a Firebird as has
ever been recorded, and it sounds spectacular in quad. FYI: The rest of the
disc is taken over by a Sacre by Mehta, which is good but not one of the
very best.


- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA

[Matthew Silverstein]

Post by m***@cpacker.org
I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

My two favorites are probably MTT/SFSO and Gergiev. (The latter is probably my favorite Gergiev recording. I'm not generally a fan.) When I'm looking for spectacular multichannel SACD sound, I go with Litton on BIS.

Matty

[Gerard]

wrote in message news:e47f7a25-2be1-405b-9b85-***@googlegroups.com...

I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

-----------------------------------------------------------

The last one I've listened to was Dohnanyi with the Wiener Philharmoniker. A
fine recording, available on Australian Eloquence on 2 cds with also
Petrouchka, Le Sacre (with Maazel conducting), and works by Bartok.
Other fine recordings I know about: Gergiev, Boulez (DG), Colin Davis (with
Concertgebouw Orchestra), Tilson Thomas, another recording by Dorati on
Decca, Ozawa (EMI, Orchestre de Paris), and Stravinsky himself - but
probably not for showing off your equipment.
Maybe Petrenko (on Onyx) is an interesting option, with a nice coupling
(Rimsky-Korsakov's Golden Cockerel Suite).

[Gerard]

"Gerard" wrote in message news:rgtsm5$jpo$***@gioia.aioe.org...

wrote in message news:e47f7a25-2be1-405b-9b85-***@googlegroups.com...

I'm looking for a good CD of Stravinsky's complete "Firebird"
ballet to show off my new listening room to visitors. Of the two
that I possess now, Simon Rattle's has up-to-date sonics but
weak musicianship. Antal Dorati's is incisive musically but
the remastering of the 1959 performance didn't even get rid of
the tape hiss. What about Seiji Ozawa's with the Boston Symphony
Orchestra? Is it worth the $35 that it costs from Amazon?

-----------------------------------------------------------

The last one I've listened to was Dohnanyi with the Wiener Philharmoniker. A
fine recording, available on Australian Eloquence on 2 cds with also
Petrouchka, Le Sacre (with Maazel conducting), and works by Bartok.
Other fine recordings I know about: Gergiev, Boulez (DG), Colin Davis (with
Concertgebouw Orchestra), Tilson Thomas, another recording by Dorati on
Decca, Ozawa (EMI, Orchestre de Paris), and Stravinsky himself - but
probably not for showing off your equipment.
Maybe Petrenko (on Onyx) is an interesting option, with a nice coupling
(Rimsky-Korsakov's Golden Cockerel Suite).
..............................................................................

FWIW

Reference Recording: Dohnányi’s Unbeaten Firebird
On balance, this is the finest complete Firebird on disc

https://www.classicstoday.com/review/review-11194/

[Raymond Hall]

https://www.amazon.com.au/Stravinsky-Bartok-Maazel-Christoph-Dohnanyi/dp/B07RJ9MFPK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Dohnanyi+eloquence&qid=1597167910&s=music&sr=1-1

The above Eloquence 2-fer contains Stravinsky's Rite, Petrouchka and Firebird, plus Bartok's Mandarin and 2 Portraits, with the VPO. All conducted by Dohnanyi except for Maazel in the Rite. A magnificent bundle. I am still going to go for Ansermet's Firebird as I write. Conducting nous sadly awol with today's crop of hopefuls.

Ray Hall, Taree

[Gerard]

"Raymond Hall" wrote in message news:252aa7ee-a8d3-42f8-a0fc-***@googlegroups.com...

https://www.amazon.com.au/Stravinsky-Bartok-Maazel-Christoph-Dohnanyi/dp/B07RJ9MFPK/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=Dohnanyi+eloquence&qid=1597167910&s=music&sr=1-1

The above Eloquence 2-fer contains Stravinsky's Rite, Petrouchka and
Firebird, plus Bartok's Mandarin and 2 Portraits, with the VPO. All
conducted by Dohnanyi except for Maazel in the Rite. A magnificent bundle. I
am still going to go for Ansermet's Firebird as I write. Conducting nous
sadly awol with today's crop of hopefuls.
-----------------------------

I don't understand that last sentence at all ;-(
I have Ansermet's recording with L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. His New
Philharmonia recording is remarkably better?

BTW it is this one?
https://www.dodax.nl/nl-nl/muziek-cds-dvds-vinylplaten/concerten-symfonien-orkestmuziek/ernest-ansermet-dir-stravinsky-the-firebird-performance-rehearsal-dpISBCKGOM5CN/

BTW2 I listened to snippets of Litton's recording on BIS. I think that this
is what the OP wishes (for showing off his equipment).
I've almost ordered on myself. ;-)

[Raymond Hall]

-----------------------

-I don't understand that last sentence at all ;-(

Just flippancy on my part.

-I have Ansermet's recording with L'Orchestra de la Suisse Romande. His New
-Philharmonia recording is remarkably better?

Kingsway Hall, in far better sound. Reviews say it is very good and Ansermet very sharp. A no brainer for an Ansermet fan.

Ray Hall, Taree