Cheap Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Firebird-Complete/Scherzo/Firework (Music) (I. Stravinsky, Columbia Symphony Orchestra) Price

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Customer Reviews of Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky: Firebird-Complete/Scherzo/Firework

The Definitive "Firebird"!!
There are numerous recordings available of Igor Stravinsky's ballet masterwork "The Firebird" however, the 1961 "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky" recording available on this disc is one that eclipses all other versions. The recording was performed by The Columbia Symphony and is presented in its complete length of nearly 43-minutes (most other recordings present "The Firebird" in a suite lasting only 25-minutes). The performance under Stravinsky's baton is nothing short of breathtaking. The piece's dynamics, shifting rhythms and unprecidented beauty are all clearly defined and wonderfully executed.
Also included on the disc are two Scherzo pieces ("Scherzo a la Russe" and "Scherzo Fantastique Op.3") along with a recording of "Fireworks", a piece composed for the wedding of the daughter of Stravinsky's friend and teacher Nicolai Rimsky-Korsakov. These three shorter works also include Stravinsky's signature rhythms and dynamic orchestrations (especially in the "Scherzo Fantastique" which echoes "The Firebird" in some spots).
This is a fantastic CD of some of Stravinsky's finest work conducted by the composer himself. Hearing Stravinsky conduct his own work brings a certain authenticity to the music. You hear exactly the way the composer wishes the music to be executed.
If you enjoy this, pick the other two discs in the "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky" series ("Petrushka/The Rite Of Spring" and "Symphony of Psalms/Symphony in C/Symphony in Three Movements"). These recordings are just as refreshing and exciting as "The Firebird".

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Essential Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky
Unfortunately, we will never get to hear Bach play the organ, or Mozart the piano, or Beethoven conduct the 5th Symphony. But thanks to the advent of recording technology, we have been able to hear the great composers of the 20th Century play and conduct their own work. Sadly, recordings of the likes of Elgar, Strauss and Rachmaninov are all in early mono, but there are several brilliant stereo recordings available by Copland and Stravinsky. These recordings of "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky" were made for CBS in the early 1960s, and along with two other discs (featuring the Rite of Spring with Petrushka, and the other one the Symphonies), are absolutely essential for serious fans of classical music. Often composers were not the best conductors of their own work (their expertise was first and foremost in composing), but they are nonetheless a vital document of their creative and versatile talents. For serious Stravinsky fans I would recommend getting both the Decca Stravinsky Box Set conducted by Ernest Ansermet (see my review), and the three CBS Masterworks titles of "Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky." That way you can compare and contrast, and determine for yourself whether Stravinsky himself was truly the best conductor of Stravinsky.