Le Roi des etoiles

[ardcarp]

On Sunday Morning, JJ played Sravinsky's Roi des Etoiles in an old version by Boulez and the French Radio Choir men's voices. OMG.....awful. They were struggling both vocally and rhythmically. Orchestra and recording balance dodgy too. Luckily this excellent version is on YouTube:

http://youtu.be/wKC9vgSX24E

[Tevot]

Thanks for this Ardcarp...

Totally new to me. Googled it and amazed that it was written in 1911 and dedicated to Debussy. Wasn't performed in public apparently until 1939. The story is below

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Le_roi_des_%C3%A9toiles

Best Wishes,

Tevot

[rauschwerk]

My expectations were very high when I went to hear the first UK performance with BBC forces under Dorati in the mid 1960s. Afterwards I thought: Is that all there is? I admit I've never been able to see the point of this piece.

[Roehre]

Zvezdoliki gripped me immediately the very first second I heard it, as "filler" to the Sacre on a DG LP (MTT iirc) in the mid-'70s

[Alison]

Zvezdoliki gripped me immediately the very first second I heard it, as "filler" to the Sacre on a DG LP (MTT iirc) in the mid-'70s

Yes, my father had that MTT Rite and IIRC the King was the opening track and so a work I had in my repertoire at an early age.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

Yes, my father had that MTT Rite and IIRC the King was the opening track and so a work I had in my repertoire at an early age.

The acoustic of that Rite recording made it sound like they were playing in a swimming bath - Zvezdoliki was the real ear-opener for me on that cassette (!) - I think I still have it somewhere.

[oddoneout]

French Radio Choir men's voices. OMG.....awful. They were struggling both vocally and rhythmically.

Made the BBCSingers sound positively good didn't it?

[Alison]

It does need a good performane; the DG disc mentioned above is immediately riveting as a performance and recording.