The Rite of Spring - definitive recording

[Nick Armstrong]

Hullo,

I need to get Stravinsky's Rite of Spring for a school project in digital format (I only have a battered old vinyl LP) ..
As I'm paying for it might as well make it a good one..

Anyone suggest a really good recording to get? What's your fave 'Rite' ?

thanks

For educational purposes, as well as musical ones, there's a lot to be said for the performance on 'instruments of the period' at last summer's Prom by 'Les Siècles' under François-Xavier Roth. I think I have an audio recording on MP3 but it is also available on video here (once you get past Tom Service's burbling intro):

I was there, sitting pretty much alongside the band, with another Hon. Member from here, and I can tell you it did the business on all fronts - very exciting, especially to hear the very 'woody' woodwind and rasping brass

[Dave2002]

Didn't someone here (perhaps facetiously) suggest buying a box set with around 50 performances of the RoS which was issued in 2013 as a present for a relative?

PS: I'll correct myself - I think there were actually only 38 performances - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stravinsky-P.../dp/B009J2VMXY

Did anyone buy it? Maybe I will - eventually - what's £40 these days!

Also note the funny pricing - the box set including the Autorip mp3 is significantly cheaper than the mp3 version!

There are some quite interesting reviews and comments associated with that box listing.

[Nick Armstrong]

Didn't someone here (perhaps facetiously) suggest buying a box set with around 50 performances of the RoS which was issued in 2013 as a present for a relative?PS: I'll correct myself - I think there were actually only 38 performances - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stravinsky-P.../dp/B009J2VMXY

Did anyone buy it? Maybe I will - eventually - what's £40 these days!

There are some quite interesting reviews and comments associated with that box listing.

I think it was me, as a present for the musically-voracious godson.

Decided not to in the end, went to a Prom instead (not the Rite one... but it was Right good, the Ravel G major concerto one).

[Dave2002]

I was there, sitting pretty much alongside the band, with another Hon. Member from here, and I can tell you it did the business on all fronts - very exciting, especially to hear the very 'woody' woodwind and rasping brass

Don't know why you bother with music - you perhaps can't hear anything now after that!

[HighlandDougie]

Having overdosed last year on the Rite (both the Decca and the Sony/BMG centenary boxes), my interest has been rekindled by the new Les Siecles/Roth (as referred to by Cali) which uses the original 1913 score (which Booseys usually don't allow). Coupled with an equally revelatory Petrouchka, it's well worth a listen.

[Radio64]

For educational purposes, as well as musical ones, there's a lot to be said for the performance on 'instruments of the period' at last summer's Prom by 'Les Siècles' under François-Xavier Roth. I think I have an audio recording on MP3 but it is also available on video here (once you get past Tom Service's burbling intro):

...

Cheers Cals .. not so much the burbling as those big "expressive" hand gestures that they all seem to use on the telly these days. That never used to happen.

[Richard Barrett]

I've lost count of the number of recorded performances of this piece that I've heard, hardly any of them is without its sit-up-and-take-notice moments, many of them are "essential" and there certainly could never be a "definitive" one. However if at this point in history I wanted to provide someone with a recording that would IMO give them the best all-round view of what this piece sounds like, I would give them Chailly with the Cleveland Orchestra, without hesitation.

[Radio64]

..well what the heck... I'll just go for this lovely 100th anniversary Box Set ... those discs look great and it's cheap at half the euro-price!

http://www.amazon.it/Igor-Stravinsky-printemps-Anniversary-Collectors/dp/B00AYQHPDK

[Dave2002]

You can get that box for under £20 - http://www.amazon.co.uk/Igor-Stravin...e+du+printemps without having to go to Italy. It's not the same as the Universal/Decca box.

[Radio64]

Ok thanks Dave but i am actually in Italy .. so that's why I saw that one. It's on my wishlist .. or lista dei desideri...

[Dave2002]

Ok thanks Dave but i am actually in Italy .. so that's why I saw that one. It's on my wishlist .. or lista dei desideri...

Thanks for reminding me! I hope you are enjoying the sun there - it's only just starting to come out again here, after days of rain. Enjoy the discs.

You might also like this link - http://vagnethierry.fr/stravinsky-le...ite-of-spring/

[Radio64]

Thanks for reminding me! I hope you are enjoying the sun there - it's only just starting to come out again here, after days of rain. Enjoy the discs.

You might also like this link - http://vagnethierry.fr/stravinsky-le...ite-of-spring/

TA! I found a similar one on a US site this morning, but I preferred to put the question to the R3 forum for a "definitive" answer....!

http://www.wqxr.org/story/295455-top-10-essential-emrite-springem-recordings/

Sun shining with some cloud.

[ferneyhoughgeliebte]

I've lost count of the number of recorded performances of this piece that I've heard, hardly any of them is without its sit-up-and-take-notice moments, many of them are "essential" and there certainly could never be a "definitive" one. However if at this point in history I wanted to provide someone with a recording that would IMO give them the best all-round view of what this piece sounds like, I would give them Chailly with the Cleveland Orchestra, without hesitation.

Thanks for this, Richard - I don't know this recording.

[Barbirollians]

There is an earlier one from Boston I think

[EdgeleyRob]

I also have the National Youth Orchestra/Rattle,anyone else familiar with this?
Sounds pretty good to me.