1999

Stravinsky: Rite of Spring, Fireworks, Petrouchka

Boston Symphony Orchestra, Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Seiji Ozawa - Chicago Symphony Orchestra / Boston Symphony Orchestra

The Boston Symphony was at the peak of its powers when it engaged the 34-year-old Seiji Ozawa for this 1969 recording of Petrushka, in which the orchestra's then 24-year-old assistant conductor, Michael Tilson Thomas, played the extensive solo piano part. Ozawa, in those years, was capable of striking sparks with any orchestra he faced, and there is a palpable sense of excitement to the Petrushka he uncorks here. The accounts of The Rite of Spring and Fireworks, recorded in 1968 with the Chicago Symphony, are equally dynamic and colorful. BMG's long-awaited 24/96 remastering unleashes the breathtakingly open sound of the original tapes for the first time on CD, and may require a volume cut to preserve peace with the neighbors.

- Ted Libbey

Michael Tilson Thomas, piano

Total playing time: 69:27

Recording:
Petrouchka – November 24, 1969, Symphony Hall, Boston
The Rite of Spring – July 1, 1968, Orchestra Hall, Chicago
Fireworks – July 8, 1968, Orchestra Hall, Chicago

Track listing:

Petrushka, ballet (burlesque) in 4 scenes for orchestra (1947 version)
Le Sacre du printemps (The Rite of Spring), ballet in 2 parts for orchestra
Fireworks (Feu D’artifice), fantasy for orchestra, Op. 4

1. Petrouchka: Scene I, The Shrovetide Fair: Vivace
2. Petrouchka: Scene I, The Shrovetide Fair: The Magic Truck
3. Petrouchka: Scene I, The Shrovetide Fair: Russian Dance
4. Petrouchka: Scene II, Petrouchka’s Cell
5. Petrouchka: Scene III, The Moor’s Cell: L’istesso Tempo
6. Petrouchka: Scene III, The Moor’s Cell: Dance of the Ballerina
7. Petrouchka: Scene III, The Moor’s Cell: Waltz
8. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Tempo Giusto
9. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Wet Nurses’ Dance
10. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Peasant With Bear
11. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Gypsies And A Rake
12. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Dance of the Coachmen
13. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Masqueraders
14. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): The Scuffle (Moor and Petrouchka)
15. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Death Of Petrouchka
16. Petrouchka: Scene IV, The Fair (Toward Evening): Appearance Of Petrouchka’s Ghost
17. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Intro
18. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Harbingers Of Spring (Dances of the Young Girls)
19. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Mock Abduction
20. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Spring Khorovod (Round Dances)
21. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Games of the Rival Tribes
22. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Procession of the Wise Elder
23. The Rite Of Spring: Part I, The Adoration of the Earth: Adoration of the Earth (Wise Elder); Dance of the Earth
24. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Intro
25. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Mystic Circles of the Young Girls
26. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Glorification of the Chosen Victim
27. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Summoning of the Ancestors
28. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Ritual of the Ancestors
29. The Rite Of Spring: Part II, The Sacrifice: Sacrificial Dance (Chosen One)
30. Fireworks, Op.4

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