Stravinsky: The Firebird (L'oiseau de feu)

“It's The Firebird that takes the honours here, especially the marvellously descriptive woodwind allied to the tiptoeing pizzicato strings. Here, Sokhiev seems to have penetrated to the fantastic, mythical heart of the piece.” The Independent, 12th January 2013 ***

“These are broad, big-boned accounts; if the Rite’s final chord isn’t cataclysmic, what goes before is convulsive and compelling.” Sunday Times, 20th January 2013

“Sokhiev's Rite of Spring takes heed of the work's many textural contrasts, with plenty of bite and bounce from the strings in the 'Mystical Circles of the Young Girls' and darkly wailing lower strings in 'Spring Rounds'...I'd call it a driven performance rather than especially elemental” Gramophone Magazine, February 2013

“Sokhiev's new recording with the Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse seems aimed at younger listeners, and would form a fine starting point for school projects...there's a DVD of the performance of The Rite of Spring that focuses on whichever instrument is prominent at any given time, and films Sokhiev from the relevant player's viewpoint, giving a real sense of what it's like to be in an orchestra.” The Guardian, 7th February 2013 ****

“As for the performances, these are polished and duly exciting...as an imaginative introduction to the world of the ballets, this is a welcome set.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2013 ****

“The playing on this disc from Andrew Litton and the Bergen Philharmonic is in many ways marvellous, with a good sense of pace throughout much of the ballet. Recorded sound is sensational, especially in surround...The caveat, though, is that...there is much excellent music-making but not such convincing drama.” BBC Music Magazine, May 2012 ***

“Litton allows [The Firebird] more delicacy than some of its later interpreters, to its great advantage in such moments as the very opening...If Kashchey has sounded more formidable in the hands of others (including the composer himself), Litton gives the old sorcerer a spectral quality that is at least as sinister. It is all beautifully played, not least thanks to a woodwind section of players who really listen to one another.” Gramophone Magazine, June 2012

“the fine grain of the recording ensures that nothing in this remarkable score is missed; the Bergen orchestra really is a very fine ensemble these days. Yet too often it's hard to believe that this is a work that was intended for the theatre” The Guardian, 29th March 2012 ***

“Recorded three months before his death, Ansermet's sharply focused if rather deliberate Firebird reflects, as a 50-minute bonus rehearsal confirms, his acute ear and commitment to rhythm and colour.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2012 ****

“the sheer beauty of sound is a delight throughout, not just the subtlety and precision of the orchestral playing (which includes some very fine solo work) but the unexaggerated clarity of detail, the wholly natural and credible perspective and the finely-judged dynamic shadings … All these qualities are enhanced by the CD recording, which adds a degree of directness without damaging the spaciousness of the sound. Not the least virtue of Ansermet’s approach is the readiness with which it evokes dance. His interpretation still earns its place in the catalogue” Gramophone Magazine, March 2012 ****

“The recording is of vintage Decca quality and remains demonstration-worthy on disc” Penguin Guide ***

“This is fabulous: young French musicians performing Stravinsky’s ballet on period instruments similar to those used by the Ballets Russes orchestra at the 1910 premiere in Paris. But it’s no dusty academic exercise. Under François-Xavier, Roth’s scintillating direction the playing is breathtakingly virtuosic and the timbres produced by the narrow-bore brass and antique woodwinds is entrancing.” The Times, 15th October 2011 *****

“An intriguing concept recreates the 1910 premiere concert of arguably Stravinsky's first masterpiece, with crack period band Les Siecles sounding especially vivid.” Classical Music, 22nd October 2011 ***

“It all works brilliantly – perhaps the most entertaining 20 minutes of orchestral music I’ve heard all year...The lean, transparent sound [in The Firebird] is a real plus – linking the work more closely with its two successors, and there’s a suppleness and flexibility to Roth’s direction which is effortlessly matched by his players.” The Arts Desk, 22nd October 2011

“This is a fascinating recording...The Firebird is the undoubted star of this show, and its orchestral plumage is subtly different here from other performances. Surprisingly, perhaps, this is more apparent with the strings than the wind, even though the timbre of the latter is distinctive...Roth drives the music with a sure touch for dramatic pacing to ensure that it's more magical Firebird than undercooked turkey.” BBC Music Magazine, December 2011 *****

“This is no ordinary recording of a well-worn Stravinsky masterpiece...The playing is electrifying and visceral, capturing the steely brilliance of the score – flashes of colour and an energy that had me sitting excitedly on the edge of my seat.” The Scotsman, 24th October 2011 *****

“The pairing is a first on disc, and only serves to emphasise the astounding originality of Stravinsky’s music...Les Siècles are exhilaratingly virtuosic in action pieces such as the capture of the Firebird by Tsarevich Ivan. There are more rhythmically incisive modern-instrument accounts of the Infernal Dance, but Roth’s works brilliantly in context. There is much that is revelatory here.” Sunday Times, 30th October 2011

“[Les Orientales] is played here with suitable flamboyance...an excellently played, brightly recorded performance of the ballet, conducted with verve by Francois-Xavier Roth. Certainly the orchestra has a clarity which gives a well-lit quality to Stravinsky's Rimsky-Korsakovian orchestration, his model, and there is no lack of vitality wioth movements such as Kaschey's dance. Well worth hearing.” Gramophone Magazine, December 2011

“Unlike some recordings originally destined for radio broadcast, the sound here is very good indeed. There is clarity and a naturalness (for CD) that conveys both the breadth of the orchestral palette and a sense of occasion. The delicacy of the hushed textures in the opening of Part 2 is magical, and a fitting tribute to the best of Lorin Maazel's work with the orchestra.” BBC Music Magazine, March 2011 ***

“Vital and colourful recordings from the 1980s, when Simon Rattle was at the height of his powers with the CBSO.” BBC Music Magazine, August 2010 ****