MusicWeb International One of the most grown-up review sites around 2024
60,000 reviews
... and still writing ...

Search MusicWeb Here Acte Prealable Polish CDs
 

Presto Music CD retailer
 
Founder: Len Mullenger                                    Editor in Chief:John Quinn             


Some items
to consider

new MWI
Current reviews

old MWI
pre-2023 reviews

paid for
advertisements

Acte Prealable Polish recordings

Forgotten Recordings
Forgotten Recordings
All Forgotten Records Reviews

TROUBADISC
Troubadisc Weinberg- TROCD01450

All Troubadisc reviews


FOGHORN Classics

Alexandra-Quartet
Brahms String Quartets

All Foghorn Reviews


All HDTT reviews


Songs to Harp from
the Old and New World


all Nimbus reviews



all tudor reviews


Follow us on Twitter


Editorial Board
MusicWeb International
Founding Editor
   
Rob Barnett
Editor in Chief
John Quinn
Contributing Editor
Ralph Moore
Webmaster
   David Barker
Postmaster
Jonathan Woolf
MusicWeb Founder
   Len Mullenger


 
REVIEW


Advertising on
Musicweb


Donate and keep us afloat

 

New Releases

Naxos Classical
All Naxos reviews

Chandos recordings
All Chandos reviews

Hyperion recordings
All Hyperion reviews

Foghorn recordings
All Foghorn reviews

Troubadisc recordings
All Troubadisc reviews



all Bridge reviews


all cpo reviews

Divine Art recordings
Click to see New Releases
Get 10% off using code musicweb10
All Divine Art reviews


All Eloquence reviews

Lyrita recordings
All Lyrita Reviews

 

Wyastone New Releases
Obtain 10% discount

Subscribe to our free weekly review listing

 

 

alternatively
CD: AmazonUK AmazonUS
Sound Samples and Downloads


Igor STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Symphony in Three Movements (1946) [22:25]
Four Études (1929) (Danse [0:57]; Excentrique [2:01]; Cantique [3:45]; Madrid [2:54])
Pulcinella (1920) [39:10]
Roxana Constantinescu (soprano); Nicholas Phan (tenor); Kyle Ketelsen (bass)
Chicago Symphony Orchestra/Pierre Boulez
rec. 26-28 February 2009 and 3 March 2009 (Symphony in Three Movements and Four Études); 5-7 March 2009 (Pulcinella)
CSO RESOUND CDCSOR901918 [71:12]

Experience Classicsonline
Pierre Boulez’s recent tenure as the Helen Regenstein Conductor Emeritus of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra resulted in a number of memorable performances of a variety of works. Last season he led concerts of music by Stravinsky, and this recent issue on the CSO’s Resound label makes available recordings of three outstanding works. The Symphony received a classic reading by Boulez, with the angular rhythms of the opening movement vividly rendered by the cohesive ensemble of the CSO. Stravinsky comes off well in this recording, with Boulez achieving the distinctive sounds with voicings that make the scoring full audible. The dynamic levels are noticeably clear, with the softer passages emerging with welcome clarity. Unlike some of the early recordings of this piece, the present issue benefits from the fullness of the ensemble’s excellent string section, which interacts well with the other sections of the orchestra. The piano is present without sounding over-miked or otherwise altered to be audible.

The second movement stands apart with its more elegiac quality, Boulez bringing out the thematic ideas with a thoughtful line. Without this approach to the second movement, the entire piece can fall flat. Instead, the contrast works well in this performance in demonstrating a different side of the affect behind the Symphony. Some of the jazz-inspired rhythms echo the style of Ravel’s Piano Concerto in G minor, but such allusions are fleeting in this well-shaped interpretation. With the third movement, Boulez delivers a powerful reading that works because of the pacing of the opening gesture. By holding back a bit, Boulez allows the sonorities to ring nicely. After the introduction, the faster sections benefit from a similar restraint in the dynamic levels in this precise reading. As the movement builds, Boulez achieves a satisfying conclusion, with the ample sound of the CSO reserved for the final tutti.

A welcome part of the recording is the rarely heard set of Four Études, a piece Stravinsky began in 1914 and completed in 1929. These studies offer glimpses of ideas Stravinsky pursued at various times in the fifteen years it took to complete the work, with some of the ideas resembling works he explored more fully in those years, like Petrushka, and other pieces. Boulez makes the most of the Four Études, which benefits from the intensity he gives to the Cantique, and the symphonic textures of Madrid. The latter evokes the idiom Stravinsky would pursue in the Symphony in Three Movements, albeit with some touches of local color in allusions to typically Spanish gestures within the overall structure of the movement.

At the core of this recording is the full score of Pulcinella, a work heard too often as a symphonic suite without the vocal movements. The complete sung ballet is present here, and it is an outstanding interpretation of the piece, which benefits from the balanced textures and carefully voiced sonorities found in the score. The second movement is attractive for the effective oboe playing of Eugene Izotov and the thoughtful phrasing of tenor Nicholas Phan. Soprano Roxana Constantinescu is similarly impressive in her aria “Contento forse”, which evokes the eighteenth-century style of Stravinsky’s source within its modern context. The third vocalist in this work, baritone Kyle Ketelsen is solid throughout, especially the first piece, “Conquesto paroline”, in which his even range and consistent articulation allow the text to sound clearly through his dramatic reading of the aria. The trio which follows shows the fine ensemble that sets this particular recording apart from others. The operatic qualities of the piece emerge easily, especially toward the conclusion, which also benefits from a warm recording level.

In the orchestral pieces, Boulez balances his sense of the structure with careful attention to the details of scoring. The chamber-music textures that are essential to Stravinsky’s score are full and rich, while the tuttis are sonorous without overbalancing the textures. The brass sonorities fit well into the larger aural image, with the strings always solid and resonant. These elements are notable in the tarantella, where the repeated figures also have a subtle dynamism as Boulez shapes the work. Overall this recording is all the more impressive for being taken from live performances, which point to the quality of music-making offered by the CSO and represented well here. This recording is a fine addition to the Stravinsky discography for the soloists, orchestra and, especially, the fine leadership of Pierre Boulez. This is an excellent addition to the already impressive CSO Resound series.

James L. Zychowicz

 


EXPLORE MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

Making a Donation to MusicWeb

Writing CD reviews for MWI

About MWI
Who we are, where we have come from and how we do it.

Site Map

How to find a review

How to find articles on MusicWeb
Listed in date order

Review Indexes
   By Label
      Select a label and all reviews are listed in Catalogue order
   By Masterwork
            Links from composer names (eg Sibelius) are to resource pages with links to the review indexes for the individual works as well as other resources.

Themed Review pages

Jazz reviews

 

Discographies
   Composer
      Composer surveys
   National
      Unique to MusicWeb -
a comprehensive listing of all LP and CD recordings of given works
.
Prepared by Michael Herman

The Collector’s Guide to Gramophone Company Record Labels 1898 - 1925
Howard Friedman

Book Reviews

Complete Books
We have a number of out of print complete books on-line

Interviews
With Composers, Conductors, Singers, Instumentalists and others
Includes those on the Seen and Heard site

Nostalgia

Nostalgia CD reviews

Records Of The Year
Each reviewer is given the opportunity to select the best of the releases

Monthly Best Buys
Recordings of the Month and Bargains of the Month

Comment
Arthur Butterworth Writes

An occasional column

Phil Scowcroft's Garlands
British Light Music articles

Classical blogs
A listing of Classical Music Blogs external to MusicWeb International

Reviewers Logs
What they have been listening to for pleasure

Announcements

 

Community
Bulletin Board

Give your opinions or seek answers

Reviewers
Past and present

Helpers invited!

Resources
How Did I Miss That?

Currently suspended but there are a lot there with sound clips


Composer Resources

British Composers

British Light Music Composers

Other composers

Film Music (Archive)
Film Music on the Web (Closed in December 2006)

Programme Notes
For concert organizers

External sites
British Music Society
The BBC Proms
Orchestra Sites
Recording Companies & Retailers
Online Music
Agents & Marketing
Publishers
Other links
Newsgroups
Web News sites etc

PotPourri
A pot-pourri of articles

MW Listening Room
MW Office

Advice to Windows Vista users  
Questionnaire    
Site History  
What they say about us
What we say about us!
Where to get help on the Internet
CD orders By Special Request
Graphics archive
Currency Converter
Dictionary
Magazines
Newsfeed  
Web Ring
Translation Service

Rules for potential reviewers :-)
Do Not Go Here!
April Fools






Untitled Document


Reviews from previous months
Join the mailing list and receive a hyperlinked weekly update on the discs reviewed. details
We welcome feedback on our reviews. Please use the Bulletin Board
Please paste in the first line of your comments the URL of the review to which you refer.