BaL 16.12.2023 - Stravinsky: The fairy's kiss

[Pulcinella]

10.30 am
Building a Library: Jeremy Sams chooses his favourite recording of Stravinsky's ballet The Fairy's Kiss.

The Fairy's Kiss (Le Baiser de la fée) is a neoclassical ballet which Igor Stravinsky composed in 1928 and revised in 1950 for George Balanchine and the New York City Ballet. He based it on Hans Christian Andersen's short story, The Ice-Maiden. The work pays homage to Tchaikovsky and was written for the 35th anniversary of his death. Stravinsky used and elaborated several melodies from early piano pieces and songs by Tchaikovsky in his score. The ballet was choreographed by Bronislava Nijinska and premiered in Paris on 27 November 1928.


As with the recent Bartok Miraculous Mandarin, recording details on the Presto site are somewhat confusing, with some entries under The fairy's kiss being merely single movements from the Divertimento (in the violin and piano arrangement). The record companies themselves don't necessarily help: Decca's 'Complete ballets and symphonies' contains only the Divertimento (at least identified as such!).

I have extracted the information about available recordings as best as I could, but corrections or omissions will as ever be gratefully received.

(Thread launched with Alpie's blessing.)


The fairy’s kiss (Complete ballet)

OSR/Ansermet (CD)
LSO/Craft (CD, D)
NYPO/Gilbert (D)
RSNO/Järvi (CD, D)
LPO/Jurowski (CD, D)
Cleveland O/Knussen (PCD, D)
Sofia SO/Marinov (D)
Cleveland O/Stravinsky (D)
Columbia SO/Stravinsky (D)
BBCSSO/Volkov (CD, D)

Divertimento (orchestral version)

OSR/Ansermet (mono: 26CD set)
OSR/Ansermet (stereo: 88CD set)
Orchestre de Paris/Bychov (D)
London Sinfonietta/Chailly (D)
BBCPO/Davis (SACD, D)
RIAS SO/Fricsay (86CD set)
BPO/Furtwängler (D)
Russian National O/Jurowski (D)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln/Kitajenko (CD, D)
Chicago SO/Reiner (D)
Mexico SO/Stravinsky (D)
RCA Victor SO/Stravinsky (D)

D: Download
CD: CD (possibly in set)
PCD: Presto CD
SACD: SACD

[Master Jacques]

The Knussen recording has to be one of my most-played CDs. His Cleveland Fairy's Kiss is (for me) one of those rare cases of recorded perfection, as to playing, interpretation and recorded quality. I always find myself smiling with delight within a minute or so of starting it, then welling up when he reaches the "None but the Lonely Heart" quotation. I wish Knussen had gone on to record Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, as a follow-up to this Stravinsky miracle.

I know of old Mravinsky and Atherton recordings in addition to Pulcinella's list, but they doubtless won't get a look-in.

[Barbirollians]

The Knussen recording has to be one of my most-played CDs. His Cleveland Fairy's Kiss is (for me) one of those rare cases of recorded perfection, as to playing, interpretation and recorded quality. I always find myself smiling with delight within a minute or so of starting it, then welling up when he reaches the "None but the Lonely Heart" quotation. I wish Knussen had gone on to record Tchaikovsky's Sleeping Beauty, as a follow-up to this Stravinsky miracle.

I know of old Mravinsky and Atherton recordings in addition to Pulcinella's list, but they doubtless won't get a look-in.

Seconded.

[Darloboy]

Only covered by BaL once previously: in July 2010 when Volkov was the first choice. Curiously this doesn't appear in any of the BaL archive information and I can't remember who the reviewer was.

[gurnemanz]

Only covered by BaL once previously: in July 2010 when Volkov was the first choice. Curiously this doesn't appear in any of the BaL archive information and I can't remember who the reviewer was.

I noticed that in 2006 the BaL choice for the Symphony in Three Movements was Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Gibson. It's on a Chandos twofer which includes the Neeme Järvi Fairy's Kiss, also with RSNO.

My only CD is the composer's own with Columbia SO and I probably won't feel the need to buy another one. My most recently acquired version is a piano arrangement by the composer, which won't be a BaL candidate but is well worth hearing. I got Outhere's 5 disc Stravinsky: The Complete Piano Solos & Transcriptions with Alexey Zuev following an enthusiastic recommendation on Record Review last year. https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...transcriptions

[Opinionated Knowall]

Seconded.

Thirded. That Knussen performance and recording are just perfect. It's going straight on the CD player now! The Volkov is a terrific performance, but to me the recording is a little distant. The Atherton/Hong Kong PO is also wonderful but may not currently be available. The Stravinsky/Cleveland also a great performance, in mono. I was disappointed by the LPO/Jurowski, which seemed brash and overlit. Maybe more to do with the recording than the performance? Such a rich and rewarding work.

[Pulcinella]

I noticed that in 2006 the BaL choice for the Symphony in Three Movements was Royal Scottish National Orchestra under Alexander Gibson. It's on a Chandos twofer which includes the Neeme Järvi Fairy's Kiss, also with RSNO.

My only CD is the composer's own with Columbia SO and I probably won't feel the need to buy another one. My most recently acquired version is a piano arrangement by the composer, which won't be a BaL candidate but is well worth hearing. I got Outhere's 5 disc Stravinsky: The Complete Piano Solos & Transcriptions with Alexey Zuev following an enthusiastic recommendation on Record Review last year. https://www.prestomusic.com/classica...transcriptions

Brainstorm entry in list corrected/deleted. I had ascribed the RSNO entry to both Gibson and Järvi!

[HighlandDougie]

Ah, the joy or the distraction of compendium boxes. I was about to look for a copy online of the Knussen when I suddenly wondered if it was in the DG Stravinsky box. Lo, there it was. Great performance (and a small shout for Andrew Davis's recent'ish BBC PO 'Divertimento' which, if nothing else, would carry off the, 'Best recording quality', palme d'or.

[CallMePaul]

With only 10 versions of the complete ballet it should be possible for all versions to be looked at without the need for a shortlist. I am not too familiar with this work and do not have any recording, and it doesn't feature on my list of Stravinsky "must-haves". I will, however, probably listen to it; Jeremy Sam,s is usually a good reviewer even if Stravinsky is not in his normal field of expertise.

[Maclintick]

Ah, the joy or the distraction of compendium boxes. I was about to look for a copy online of the Knussen when I suddenly wondered if it was in the DG Stravinsky box. Lo, there it was. Great performance (and a small shout for Andrew Davis's recent'ish BBC PO 'Divertimento' which, if nothing else, would carry off the, 'Best recording quality', palme d'or.

For those who don't have the DG Stravinsky box, Presto currently offer 16/44.1 downloads of the Cleveland/Knussen version at the same price as the mp3 equivalent - valid until 11/12.

[silvestrione]

For those who don't have the DG Stravinsky box, Presto currently offer 16/44.1 downloads of the Cleveland/Knussen version at the same price as the mp3 equivalent - valid until 11/12.

Ah, thanks for that tip, have done that.

[Pulcinella]

Getting some more listening done in preparation for this BaL: currently streaming Craft, which I like very much indeed.There's a rustic earthiness about it that I fiund completely lacking in the Knussen, which to my ears was too polished and refined.
Järvi too seemed superficial compared to the Ansermet and (later) Stravinsky recordings that I'd listened to previously.
The Volkov seems not yet available from Hyperion, and I can only find one movement of the Jurowski.

[Pulcinella]

Some interesting interpretative comparisons and comments, and at least now, after the second excerpt from the Chicago/Reiner recording, a mention that it's only of the Divertimento.

[Pulcinella]

The winner, RSNO/Järvi, available in two incarnations:

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7945318--stravinsky-symphony-no-1-symphony-in-c-and-other-orchestral-works

and

https://www.prestomusic.com/classical/products/7945416--stravinsky-le-baiser-de-la-fee-tchaikovsky-bluebird-pas-de-deux

I'll experiment and see if I can discover how to make that entry red in the OP; I've never used colour.

PS: Just realised how to do this!

[Master Jacques]

Getting some more listening done in preparation for this BaL: currently streaming Craft, which I like very much indeed.There's a rustic earthiness about it that I fiund completely lacking in the Knussen, which to my ears was too polished and refined.
Järvi too seemed superficial compared to the Ansermet and (later) Stravinsky recordings that I'd listened to previously.
The Volkov seems not yet available from Hyperion, and I can only find one movement of the Jurowski.

I enjoy listening to the Craft recording on Naxos, as an occasional change from the perfection of the Knussen. And I agree with you about the superficiality of Järvi's recording - it's too much penny-in-the-slot, generic romanticism for my tastes. Having said which, Jeremy Sams gave a thoroughly likeable survey which did fair justice to the recordings he chose to present, and justified his opinions entertainingly. Good broadcasting!

For me, though, The Fairy's Kiss is absolutely not the Pathétique Symphony, and Knussen gauges its special world to perfection when he reaches the "None but the Lonely Heart" climax, with a degree of inward, 'white-out' restraint which Järvi misses.