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Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps - van Zweden

Stravinsky: Le Sacre du printemps - van Zweden

Exton  OVCL-00330

Stereo/Multichannel Hybrid

Classical - Orchestral


Stravinsky: The Rite of Spring, Apollon Musagete

Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra
Jaap van Zweden (conductor)

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Review by John Miller - July 8, 2008

Ironically, this disc has been issued in Europe at the same time as RCO Live 's Rite of Spring disc with Janssons at the helm, which gives it serious competition.

Stravinsky's literally riotous ballet score of 1913 was a pivotal point in the development of Western music; the very apotheosis of rhythm, and a presage of the savagery impending for the 1914-18 war. For several decades after its ignoble birth, the ballet and concert performances of its staggeringly complex score made players and conductors alike struggle to realise it, with Stravinsky making many alterations to the notation and instrumentation to clarify and accommodate the requirements of specific orchestras. Today it has become a repertoire piece, but still only a few performances on record or in concert manage to capture the primal soul of the work which was in Stravinsky's mind at its inception.

Having just listened in succession to seven of the best 'Rites', (Stravinsky, Bernstein, Ansermet, Chailly & Rattle on RBCD, Janssons & Järvi on SACD), I was immediately disappointed by van Zweden's reading. It lacks the sheer rhythmic bite and precision of its peers, and generally fails to maintain the overwhelming progression and projection of tension required, especially in its slow sections, where the impetus often flags. At crucial moments, such as the famous stamping string rhythms in the Introduction, the articulation of string chords lacks the bite and rhythmic punch found by other orchestras. The big climaxes are built from complex layering of fiendish ostinato polyrhythms distributed between different instruments of the same family, which, when played correctly, generate the primitive sense of excitement seeming to issue from the depths of our psyches. Here, van Zweden is let down by the eccentric Octavia engineers, who seem to use mixing from multitracks to emphasise some instruments more than others, giving the very strange effect that the score has been simplified; it seems full of holes and lacks the superbly organic, massive feel which other orchestras and conductors attain by the musicians' own internal balancing. Listen to the remarkable Polyhymnia recording for Janssons/RCO Live to hear how thrilling these climactic passages sound when recorded with a realistic natural perspective.

There are other flaws in this Rite. Because the transitions between sections in the two Parts are not always managed smoothly, the progress from the first stirring of Spring to the final snapping of the young girl's neck as she is danced to death is laboured rather than inevitable. At times the orchestra seem to loose rhythmic cohesion with chaotic results - listen at 2:20-3:30 in the Sacrificial Dance. Some of this may be due to the spotlighting of Stravinsky's battery of motoric percussion. The (splendid) bass drum is often given a repeated rhythmic cell in which it alternates notes with one or more of the tympani, but the bass drum is so loud that we are only aware of its part in the cell, distorting the pulse fatally. The Ritual of Rival Tribes sounds more like they are sharing a tea party, rather than sparring fiercely with overheated machismos, and the Spring Rounds are very sleepy. At the start of Part II (and elsewhere) the strings are thin and struggle to be heard over the brass.

Instead of being the expected white-hot epic of shamanic rituals to ensure tribal survival for the coming year, this seems to me to be only a little better than the average concert performance, lacking tension and visceral excitement. The recording is also not of the best quality; the surround and centre speakers only provide very subtle contributions, and are hardly missed when switching to stereo (as often with Octavia). There is no stable and spacious sound-stage, but many point sources, where there should be whole neighbouring sections in the very large orchestra. This is particularly to the detriment of the woodwinds. Stravinsky went out of his way in this score to make sure that they would be heard in their highly important roles. He asks for five-fold wind in each instrument family, but we tend to hear solos rather than ensembles.

For the Rite, I would award 3.5 stars for performance and 3.5 for recording. Bernstein's blazing recordings with the NYPO or LSO make this one sound like a walk in the park.

Van Zweden's reading of Apollon, however, is another story. At the opposite pole of Stravinsky's musical life, this wonderful luminous, relaxed Neoclassical work is full of melody and diatonic harmony, and scored for strings only. The Netherlands Radio Philharmonic Orchestra's string section is recorded very closely, particularly its growling basses, but the overall sound has some bloom and is quite attractive. The Ballet was concocted around the birth of the sun God Apollo and his descent from Parnassus to Earth, where he and his select group of Muses partake in dance tableaux. The music, like the playing, has great warmth, although this is not Mediterranean heat, but paler, Northern sunshine. The NRPO players respond affectionately to its serenely cool and elegant melodies, giving an engaging and enjoyable performance.

In 1995, when Chailly set down his own Apollon for Decca with the RCO, Jaap van Zweden was its Concert Master. It has to be said that Chailly's reading is notably better than van Zweden's. The former's sense of line and flow is greater and the music sounds more Terpsichorean. There is a palpable sense of occasion, with the wonderful Concertgebouw strings in a natural perspective, enfolded in the resonance of their famous hall. Chailly's Apollo Theme is graver and more nobly poised, his Polyhymnia dance is brisker and more pointed, the Coda is more extrovert and has fun with some jazzy rhythms, and his Apotheosis has significantly greater attack, depth of tone and emotional intensity. Chailly would therefore be my choice in this work, perhaps along with Karajan and the BPO - they simply have more of a sense of dance and drama.

4.5 stars to van Sweden for his Apollon performance and 4.5 for its recording.

A mixed bag, therefore. I would not recommend this disc for its Rite of Spring, although van Zweden fans may want to hear it; Janssons and Järvi are much more desirable and reliable SACD proponents, with superb sonics. Buy this present disc for the Apollon Musagète only if you must have an SACD version of this delectable ballet music.

For the benefit of English-speaking readers, Exton have wisely included notes and a track list in English at the back of the otherwise Japanese booklet, rather than supplying one of their customary flimsy multi-folded insert sheets for Western issue. Finally I must comment on the dreadful front cover design - one of the messiest and ugliest I have ever seen. A crudely doctored photograph of an unknown ballet scene might seem appropriate, but Stravinsky worked on his concept of Sacré du Printemps with the Russian artist Nikolai Roerich, who designed the costumes and scenery. Something more graphically appropriate from the fermenting mix of art and design of 1913 could surely have been found!

Copyright © 2008 John Miller and HRAudio.net

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