Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Pulcinella Suite [Great Performances]

Leonard Bernstein

Released on 06/06/2006 by Sony Classical
Main artists: Leonard Bernstein
Genre: Classical

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Leonard Bernstein recorded both of these Stravinsky works -- Petrushka and the Pulcinella Suite -- twice, with the New York Philharmonic in 1969 and 1960, respectively, and with the Israel Philharmonic in 1982 and 1984. Sony Classical's Great Performances disc presents the two New York Philharmonic recordings, combined with Bernstein's 20-minute spoken discussion of Petrushka and what it, and Stravinsky's music in general, meant to him. Bernstein's Pulcinella Suite is excellent, very well recorded, and different from any other version and brimming with vibrant energy, although no one looking for a sense of connectivity with this performance and the eighteenth century music on which Pulcinella Suite was modeled will find it here -- Bernstein's reading is stated entirely within a modern idiom. It is a shame the Petrushka isn't better than it is, and the ballet is something of a bête noire in that famous conductors one would expect capable of handling it well achieves only mediocre results. In fast sections dominated by rather rigid motor rhythms, Bernstein's sense of pulse is a little all over the place, whereas in the slower sections he seems to have difficulty maintaining the hushed suspense that characterizes these cues. The recording from Avery Fisher Hall, likewise, is a little off Columbia's highest standards, being dry and somewhat lacking in bass response; even the New York Philharmonic itself seems to be having difficulty with coordinating instruments in passages more sparingly scored. As this recording was made in early 1969, its shortcomings might be partly the result of Columbia attempting to adapt to the new eight-track equipment, which had just come into use; certainly the earlier 1960 recording of Pulcinella Suite from the Manhattan Center is clear, full, and vivid.
Bernstein's talk, though partly canned, is quite fascinating; no one could sell a classical work like he, and the rapport that Bernstein once established with mass audiences in America was an underappreciated facility that has found no follower. It was originally pressed on a styrene disc included with the original album, and these styrene records were made of soft, injection-molded material that quickly wore out. The inclusion of this mainly verbal track does add value to this reissue, and the Pulcinella Suite remains superb despite subsequent changes in attitude as to how this work should be delivered. Just bear in mind that, though the Israel Philharmonic in 1982 was no New York Philharmonic, the recording Bernstein made of Petrushka on that later occasion did turn out more successfully.

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Stravinsky: Petrouchka; Pulcinella Suite [Great Performances]

Leonard Bernstein

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Pétrouchka - Burlesque in four scenes for Orchestra (1947 version) (Igor Stravinsky)

Scene I: Fête populaire de la semaine grasse