Le Sacre du Printemps [Hybrid SACD]

The first thing that came into my head about this recording was the sound quality. The most significant part of me that liked this recording was the fact that the base (esp. when the percussion play) blew apart one of my headphones. Whenever the base drum comes in, instead of a loud thump, you'd hear a loud BLAM!!!!! Hope you enjoy, and sorry I'm not that helpful at the moment.

First of all: there is no great difference between the versions of Rite of spring. Different from Petrushka and Firebird , the author correct few things, but I am convinced that no one can feel the difference.And the version recorded here is one of the bests I heard. But the principal thing in this recording is the Mussorgsky . Very good indeed . Is best than Abbado I and II ( that I love) and Dohnanyi ( the same). When people will forget the criminal version of Korsakow ???? I realy prefer the Bartok complete , but this is the best recording I heard of the Suite. Bravo Mr. Salonen !!! Bravo L A Philharmonic.

I own three recordings of Stravinsky's Le Sacre: Eliahu Inbal with the Philharmonia, Robert Craft with the London Symphony, and Yoel Levi with the Atlanta Symphony. I've heard the live Salonen with the LA Philharmonic numerous times on television, and this ranks as one of the greater Rites. Salonen never tones down the barbarism of the piece. The lighter, slower movements are never rushed. "The Dance of the Earth" is spine-tingling. "Glorification of the Chosen Victim" is fast and suspenseful. "Sacrificial Dance" is one of the most perfectly played movements I ever heard. And, best of all, the audience is very quiet during the performance.

Night on Bald Mountain and Miraculous Mandarin Suite are also a big plus for this CD.

Now, I think you should understand that we'll never hear a perfect version of Le Sacre. With the recordings I own, I can see the flaws. Inbal is glossy and slow, but the fantastic playing of the Philharmonia makes up for it. Craft's authoritative conducting can't adjust to the London Symphony's diminutive understanding of the piece's intensity. Levi's insightful reading, and the Telarc sound, are a pleasure if you won't mind the Atlanta Symphony's chamber-like sound. And even Salonen isn't perfect: woodwinds are a bit too polished, and there are a few occasions in which the conductor misses an important mark (such as the weak timpani and tuba explosion in "Augurs of Spring"). I don't know about Stravinsky's own Columbia recording, but almost everyone does say that it's quite possibly the most intense Rite recording ever.

But still, each Rite has a difference. Whether you want excessive bombast, or red-hot intensity, or Karajan-like lyricism, or even a straightforward approach, it always depends on personal opinion. So get the Salonen Rite for its intensity.

Let me begin by saying that the sonics on this disc are absolute benchmark level. I don't know if it's the new Disney Concert Hall or DG's characteristically excellent recording techniques, or both, but as recording quality goes this is FABULOUS.
The recording itself is made up of modern works. In summation, the Stravisky is great. This highly percussion driven piece is great. All of the bass drum and timpani hits have delicious impact, and the playing is, as expected immaculate. Bartok is good as well.
What I have issue is with the speed of Night on Bald Mountain. Maestro Salonen, where's the fire? I know this piece is supposed to sound driving but in my estimation a comfortable exceeding of the speed limit would suffice rather than the frenetic race to the end he achieves.

There is much to admire in this disc. There are a few quibbles too, but foremost this recording stands as an impressive snapshot of a team at the top of their game, a partnership that has set the trend for the new century in presenting live classical music in America. The power-packed repertoire featured here has now become symbolic of the L.A. Philharmonic (and their cutting-edge Disney Hall) thanks to Esa-Pekka Salonen's unstinting artistic leadership, and their 20th-century chops have as a result become honed to perfection. The Rite has become the Phil's virtual calling card since the move, and the polish and confidence they play with show how comfortable they feel in this music, that they identify with these pieces now as their core repertory.

I agree a bit with T.E. Gossard's review below - in this Rite the interpretation does present the composition in an alternative, still valid, way. If you're familiar with some of Salonen's other work, it won't surprise that he serves up kinetic, full-bodied, and modern Le Sacre. But instead of primal wantonness, we have a compelling argument for elegant, sleek seduction, with a hypnotic Rondes Printanieres and singularly minded Danse Sacrale as cases in point. As far as the use of the 1947 revision, we know this group can play the spots off any page put in front of them, and rather than for difficulty considerations, I would think Salonen as a composer and highly skilled orchestrator himself chose this version because of preference, because the cleaner textures better serve the interpretation he wanted to present. And in this context, the choice makes a lot of sense. Salonen and L.A. have done more exciting, risk-taking Le Sacre together (look up their excellent Disney Hall inaugural video online), but this exceedingly well-played, fluid, and dynamic reading makes a fine contemporary addition to the body of classic recordings out there.

The L.A. Philharmonic's enormous precision, control, and lean, muscular, organic sound are displayed beautifully in their performances of the other two pieces on the disc - the immensely fun original version of Night on Bald Mountain, and the concert suite from Bartok's provocative Miraculous Mandarin ballet. The original Bald Mountain is thrilling here (and shows how fantastically creative and ahead of his time Mussorgsky really was), and is a must-hear if you only know the piece through "Fantasia" - it is not the same piece by any stretch. The Bartok gets the best performance of the disc for me - this team is absolutely top-shelf in repertoire from the early 20th-century to the present. They are propulsive, detailed, and vivacious here, with the highlights being incredible wind soloists and beautiful contrasts between the spiky and lyrical lines Bartok juxtaposes.

A couple of quibbles, however: one being the sound. While the space is vividly realized in SACD format, the recording balance is a problem in this ultra-responsive environment - extreme highs and lows result in a shrieking piccolo and a bass drum akin to a bomb dropping, while the mids lose some punch. DG has done far better on the recent LA Phil iTunes releases, but here they were still in the learning curve. Another quibble is the program order. I wish the Bartok had been last. Not only would it have put the pieces in chronological order, which shows a fascinating progression in the writing, but the Bartok performance is so outstanding and the piece so unusual compositionally, the familiar Le Sacre seems almost tame by comparison!

There was a lot of hype around this disc, especially due to the promises of the hall, perhaps resulting in extra-high expectations. But if excessive, it is certainly the well-deserved celebration of the end of a long (20-year long!) journey for the Philharmonic towards their new home and a new direction, which constitutes the lasting legacy Esa-Pekka Salonen will leave when he steps down. I only hope that we'll get one more Disney Hall SACD from them before he hands over the reins to Dudamel...perhaps the conductor's own phenomenal new Piano Concerto? DG - our collective fingers are crossed.