Stravinsky - Firebird Suite, Petrushka (1990)

1. Firebird Suite
     - Introduction
     - The Firebird and His Dance
     - Variation of the Firebird
     - Round of the Princesses
     - Infernal Dance of King Kastchei
     - Finale

Petrouchka:
2. I - The Shrove-Tide Fair
3. II – Petrushka
4. III - The Blackamoor
5. IV - The Shrove-Tide Fair and the Death of Petrushka

New York Philharmonic Orchestra
Leonard Bernstein – conductor

A brilliantly successful issue. This Bernstein version of Petrushka obviously got buried when it had to compete on the same label with the composer's own. Yet far more than Stravinsky's comparatively lightweight reading, in fact more than anyone else's I know, this version underlines the sharpness of feeling behind the story. On this occasion the Moor is as fierce as Kaschei, and Petrushka's rages of selftorment have a Kafka-like intensity. Yet the humour is superbly pointed, as one would expect with Bernstein. The contrasts, whether of emotion, texture or of simple dynamics may tend to get exaggerated, but I have never before felt so involved in a performance of this ballet. True, on a couple of occasions at least Bernstein ignores markings and pushes on too fast (fig. 7 where the movement changes from quavers to crotchets and the Tempo giusto at fig. 237 in the finale), but those are the exceptions. The spirit of the ballet is wonderfully caught, and the degree of flexibility whether in dolce espressivo solos for woodwind (of which there are far more than one remembers) or in humorous pointing as in the bassoon staccatos of the Moor's waltz strikes me as perfectly achieved.

This is of course the 1947 version of the ballet, and with recording that is surprisingly clear as well as full-bodied, the transparency of the writing as well as its atmospheric qualities are beautifully caught. That is so although (unlike the rival bargain versions of this coupling from Monteux and Ansermet) the complete score is fitted on to a single side, some 34 minutes. The usual Firebird Suite (1919 edition) seems to be of rather older vintage, and did in fact appear here on the Philips label. The playing is not quite so precise and biting as in Petrushka (Kaschei's dance could be sharper though it has plenty of beef), but Bernstein's control of phrasing is wonderfully warm without ever being sentimental. A good fill-up. The recording quality certainly does not show its age, though in the absence of any 'stretching' technique tape-hiss is rather higher than we have grown used to of late. Comparisons are perhaps academic, when both Ansermet and Monteux use the original version of Petrushka, but for more detail see my notice of the Ace of Diamonds reissue of Ansermet's stereo version on p. 473. My personal choice would be for the Bernstein over all current versions even taking into account the price. E.G. --- gramophone.net

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