Bernstein NY Phil Rite of Spring Finally Reissued on CD

[Teasing the Korean]

Whenever I am seriously into a classical piece, I always seek out multiple interpretations and try to see if there is consensus around, say, three or so definitive versions.

There is a general consensus that one of the best versions of the Rite of Spring - the Columbia LP by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Phil, circa 1958 - is one of the best, and some say the best.

It has inexplicably been unavailable on CD. It is finally being reissued on CD and LP on April 30th. List price for the CD is US $11.99.

http://www.amazon.com/Le-Sacre-Printemps-Leonard-Bernstein/dp/B00BQSSGD8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1365647584&sr=8-1&keywords=sacre+bernstein

Edited April 11, 2013 by Teasing the Korean

[J.A.W.]

There is a general consensus that one of the best versions of the Rite of Spring - the Columbia LP by Leonard Bernstein and the New York Phil, circa 1960 - is one of the best, and some say the best.

It's a generalization, of course, and maybe I'm opening a can of worms, but Bernstein is not as appreciated in Europe as he is in the United States.

Thanks for the tip, though.

[Teasing the Korean]

I'm not interested in Bernstein in general, but the circumstances of the orchestra when the LP was made are interesting.

For what it's worth, my favorite versions are by Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony on Mercury, with the tiki album cover art, and the the Ansermet on London with the topless virgin. (Later printings altered her dress).

[ejp626]

I'm not interested in Bernstein in general, but the circumstances of the orchestra when the LP was made are interesting.

For what it's worth, my favorite versions are by Dorati and the Minneapolis Symphony on Mercury, with the tiki album cover art, and the the Ansermet on London with the topless virgin. (Later printings altered her dress).

So I just had to check this out, and it isn't a simple case of air-brushing. The poses are slightly different, esp. the lady's feet, so they must have taken two (or more) shots during the session, knowing that the bare-breasted one might be too much.

[ejp626]

I'm a little baffled though. I think you mean the 1958 (not 1960) recording.

I guess I didn't realize it was that hard to get. It is the version that came in the Bernstein OJC collection, which despite being a limited edition from many years back is still kicking around on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Original-Jacket-Collection-Leonard-Bernstein/dp/B00005T7RB

[Teasing the Korean]

Yeah, I may have had the year wrong. And yes, I knew it was available as part of a box, but not individually.

Edited April 11, 2013 by Teasing the Korean

[Joe]

General opinions on the Boulez / Cleveland "Great Performances" rendition?

[Mark Stryker]

Don't necessarily know the overall critical consensus on Boulez/Cleveland but my own recollection -- haven't listened to this one in a long time -- is that it was typical Boulez, which is to say meticulous, precise, super-transparent and emotionally cool. I like lots of Boulez's work as a conductor but find his "Rite" too dry without enough heat and primal energy that makes the piece really come alive. He's more interested in delineating structure and establishing it's central role in development of modernism. Ok as far as it goes but not to my taste.I once heard Boulez lead Cleveland in the "Rite" one week after hearing Neeme Jarvi conduct it here in Detroit and much preferred the almost jazzy rhythmic pop and sense of freedom that Jarvi got out of the piece, even though the ensemble playing was not nearly as "perfect" as in Cleveland.

As an aside, I've heard Boulez conduct both Cleveland and Chicago live and while on paper you might think his approach would be better suited to Cleveland since that orchestra has always been known for its chamber music-like clarity and precision, I always enjoyed the Chicago performances more because the more muscular, brassier sound of Chicago brought Boulez out of his shell a bit and he tamed their worst excesses -- the creative tension led to an interesting meeting in the middle, whereas with Cleveland the reinforcement of similar qualities led to impeccable but pretty dry performance, though this is generalization and some repertoire (Ligeti, Messiaen) benefited from the marriage.

Coda: I love that early Bernstein recording for its unbridled passion; a contemporary account I like a lot is Gergiev/Kirov -- primal, brooding, very "Russian"

Edited April 11, 2013 by Mark Stryker

[Larry Kart]

Horenstein's recording has a rare elemental power:

http://www.amazon.co...horenstein rite

Yesterday I picked up for $1 at a resale shop the Maazel/Cleveland, which so far is full of novel to my ears detail and yet for all its precision also quite elemental (this to some degree thanks to much care having been taken to give the percussion instruments their full due):

http://www.amazon.co...rds=maazel rite

I also have Craft/Musicmasters, Stravinsky/Columbia and Monteux/RCA.

P.S. I know that Maazel's reputation is that of a technically superb but emotionally empty conductor, but other encounters with his work in recent years (e.g. his Symphony of Psalms, a Debussy disc with La Mer, Jeux, and the Nocturnes, his Daphnis and Chloe) haven't borne that out for me.

[ejp626]

Yeah, I may have had the year wrong. And yes, I knew it was available as part of a box, but not individually.

I think it is a good recording, even though I am not a huge fan of the piece. I don't think you'll be disappointed once you hear it.

[Mark Stryker]

BTW, since it hasn't been mentioned yet, 2013 marks the centennial celebration of "The Rite of Spring," which made its debut May 29, 1913.

[ejp626]

I guess that didn't come up, but this stub thread talks about the Anniversary box:

[CJ Shearn]

I love Lenny and this should be very nice. The version of "Rite" I grew up with was on London, Zubin Mehta conducting the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the second side also had "Eight Instrumental Miniatures". I also like the version Stravinsky himself conducted. It may be unpopular, but I cannot listen to any version of "1812" unless it is the version Lenny conducted with the NYP backed with "Marche Slave" and "Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture". That was recently reissued in an expanded edition, but the "Great Performances" LP is absolutely a defining album of my early listening and my childhood. It's absolutely ebullient, garish perhaps but I love it. My mom has stories of me as a child with that album that are pretty funny. I will pick up this "Rite" reissue at some point.

[Stefan Wood]

There are many fine ones, but it is this mono version that for me gets to the heart of it all (sorry for the obnoxiously large jpeg):

Edited April 11, 2013 by Stefan Wood

[Joe]

Thanks Mark, and all.

[Teasing the Korean]

Why do the CD versions have such square cover art? Why not the original? Why no topless virgin on the Ansermet? Why no dancing tiki on the Dorati?

[alankin]

I wouldn't call Matisse square.

[Teasing the Korean]

I wouldn't call Matisse square.

Yes, but he's not as hip as a a bearded guy suspending a topless virgin over his head.

[Adam]

How can you tell from a photo if she is a virgin?

[Teasing the Korean]

How can you tell from a photo if she is a virgin?

Well, she's being sacrificed, so I'm assuming that someone else did the research and spared me of the responsibility.

[Teasing the Korean]

The Bernstein is en route. A professional musician friend of mine who listens to every version of Rite he can find told me he listened to the Bernstein on Pandora after it was released that it was "amazing."

[Teasing the Korean]

Well, the Bernstein arrived.

The cover art is nice, but not up to the level of the Dorati (with the tiki) or the Ansermet (with the topless virgin).

Performance-wise, it is very good. The savagery works in those passages, but some of the brooding mystery is lost in other passages.

The brass is very out of balance in places and the woodwind/string detail can get lost.

A very solid performance/recording but not what it is cracked up to be, IMHO.

[Chuck Nessa]

The Lenny recording was everywhere in the US during my school years and I am sure it introduced a mass of my countrymen (and women) to the work.

I have narrowed my collection to Stravinsky, Fricsay and Horenstein - all for different reasons. I wish I still had the Boulez recording issued on Nonesuch in the US 'cause I remember liking it a bunch and don't have a clue what interested me.

[Teasing the Korean]

The Lenny recording was everywhere in the US during my school years and I am sure it introduced a mass of my countrymen (and women) to the work.

I have narrowed my collection to Stravinsky, Fricsay and Horenstein - all for different reasons. I wish I still had the Boulez recording issued on Nonesuch in the US 'cause I remember liking it a bunch and don't have a clue what interested me.

I have two versions by Stravinsky but am not familiar with the others.

Isn't it interesting that the most ubiquitous version for so long has been so hard to find on CD?