Which Recording of The Firebird Do You Recommend?

[JohnGavin]

I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.

How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?

Also did Karajan ever record it?

Thanks.

[Jerry]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 10:54:30 AM UTC-4, JohnGavin wrote:
> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD. How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins? Also did Karajan ever record it? Thanks.

My first stereo record (if you're old enough to
remember those days) was the Bernstein/NYPhil.
(It's the suite, of course, and not the full
ballet).

Despite advances in recording since then, this
still sounds fantastic. Growling basses and
howling brass, Lenny pulls out all the stops.

[Gerard]

JohnGavin <dag...@gmail.com> typed:

The classic recommendation is Dorati on Mercury.
"Second" choices are Gergiev (Kirov Orchestra) and Davis (Concertgebouw
Orchestra).

> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>
> How is Boulez/Chicago,

That's a fine one too.

> Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?

Never heard them (excepted Abbado's Firebird SDuite).

>
> Also did Karajan ever record it?

No.

[Bob Harper]

I have the Davis on a Phillips two-fer with Petrushka and one of the
most stunningly recorded Rites I know of. And the two VPO/Dohnanyi discs
of Sravinsky/Bartok on Eloquence are not to be sneezed at.

Slightly OT, the Petrushka from the late Yakov Kreizberg and the Monte
Carlo Orchestra (a 3-CD set with the other two early ballets and
Pulcinella) really impressed me with its infectious rhythmic drive.

Bob Harper

[Gerard]

Bob Harper <bob.h...@comcast.net> typed:

> On 10/13/12 8:06 AM, Gerard wrote:
> > JohnGavin<dag...@gmail.com> typed:
> >
> > The classic recommendation is Dorati on Mercury.
> > "Second" choices are Gergiev (Kirov Orchestra) and Davis
> > (Concertgebouw Orchestra).
> >
> > > I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
> > >
> > > How is Boulez/Chicago,
> >
> > That's a fine one too.
> >
> > > Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?
> >
> > Never heard them (excepted Abbado's Firebird SDuite).
> >
> > >
> > > Also did Karajan ever record it?
> >
> > No.
> >
> I have the Davis on a Phillips two-fer with Petrushka and one of the
> most stunningly recorded Rites I know of. And the two VPO/Dohnanyi
> discs of Sravinsky/Bartok on Eloquence are not to be sneezed at.
>

Anyone heard the BIS recording by Litton?
Seems to be really good (according to reviews).

[randy...@gmail.com]

I second those who recommend Dorati/Mercury and Davis/Philips. I also like the Ozawa/Chicago recording a great deal, far more so than the remake he did with Boston forces in th early days of digital.

[jrsnfld]

On Oct 13, 9:24 am, randy.l...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Saturday, October 13, 2012 8:58:08 AM UTC-7, Bob Harper wrote:
> > On 10/13/12 8:06 AM, Gerard wrote:
>

> > > JohnGavin<dagd...@gmail.com>  typed:

Ozawa did a complete Firebird with Boston; his Chicago
recording....um, do you mean his earlier recording with the Orchestre
de Paris? I don't know an Ozawa/CSO Firebird, though they did
Fireworks and the Rite of Spring together.

--Jeff

[randy...@gmail.com]

I stand corrected. Yes, the recording I like is the earlier one, and it was with the Orchestre de Paris, not Chicago. I think I always get confused because the rare EMI Forte 2fer I have it on couples it with Ozawa's CSO recordings of Bartok and Janacek

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000009OQV

[ec38...@gmail.com]

Chailly and the Concertgebouw are magnificent.

[jrsnfld]

I've never heard Abbado or Bernstein, but keep in mind that neither
does the full ballet. I highly recommend getting the full ballet
(since Oue is a recording of the suite--about half the music). Oue is
a nice choice because of the sound, but for the full ballet, there are
no demo recordings like that. No matter--here are some great ones:

Colin Davis/Concertgebouw Orch
Dutoit/Montreal
Boulez (I don't know which one I prefer, but it's worth having one
because it's a piece that he does very well)
Dohnanyi/Czech PO (this is on Praga, a very good performance that I
believe is a live recording. Dohnanyi also made a studio recording
with the Vienna Philharmonic, undoubtedly in better sound, which I
have not heard, but I suspect it's very good)
Composer/Columbia SO

I haven't listened to this piece in a while, so I'm not going to try
to compare interpretations and playing, etc. They're all very
satisfying, unless up-to-date sound is your main criterion. If it is,
perhaps go for Dutoit, Tilson-Thomas (get the box with the Persephone
and the Rite of Spring) or maybe Dorati/Detroit. Boulez/CSO (the
CD...I haven't tried the live DVD on a full sound system) sounds
impressive enough if you're willing to crank it up, and, in its day,
Davis' was one of the best sounding versions.

--Jeff

[jrsnfld]

...but they only did the Suite, right (or am I forgetting something)?

--Jeff

[ec38...@gmail.com]

Right.

[Heck51]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 10:54:30 AM UTC-4, JohnGavin wrote:

> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?>>

For the Suite - Bernstein/NYPO from '57. simply outstanding

Guilini/CSO/EMI from 10/69 - also fabulous

Boulez/CSO is the entire ballet, highly recommended.

[Ray Hall]

Jerry wrote:

> My first stereo record (if you're old enough to
> remember those days) was the Bernstein/NYPhil.
> (It's the suite, of course, and not the full
> ballet).
>
> Despite advances in recording since then, this
> still sounds fantastic. Growling basses and
> howling brass, Lenny pulls out all the stops.
>

Dorati is almost a definitive reading on Mercury. There are many fine
ones, but Dorati is a must.

Ray Hall, Taree

[randy...@gmail.com]

CD or SACD?
I've heard some audiophiles say the Mercury SACDs are poorer than the CDs. Arguments vary about why the CDs are sometimes superior though. Has anyone here compared the two Dorati Firebird media?

[Paul Goldstein]

In article <4b0a0fa4-ceec-4501...@googlegroups.com>, JohnGavin
says...

>
>I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.

The Dorati on Mercury is, IMO, the best orchestral recording Mercury ever made.
Try to hear it on SACD, although the Redbook CD is plenty good too.

[Ray Hall]

I've only heard the CD. I originally possessed it on LP. Basically, as
regards SACDs, I am not that bothered, as I am not an audiophile as such.

Ray Hall, Taree

Ray Hall, Taree

[Mort]

Hi,

I have several Mercury SACD discs, although not Dorati's Firebird. The
CD layer is about the same as the older CD release, and the SACD layer
is just slightly better. In general, the RCA SACD's have both layers
sounding better than the older CD.
I have a stereo system, not a multi-channel one.

Mort Linder

[rapu...@spiritone.com]

I have and it is very good. The SACD sound is great. My other favourite is Boulez/NYPO from the mid 70's.

[operafan]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 12:43:22 PM UTC-4, jrsnfld wrote:
\

> Ozawa did a complete Firebird with Boston; his Chicago
>
> recording...

They did a Firebird Suite, not the complete ballet. I think it was coupled on an RCA LP (one of those flimsy, thin ones) with Petrouchka.

[Gerard]

operafan <peter....@gmail.com> typed:

The Boston recording seems to be a complete one (on EMI):

http://www.amazon.com/Stravinsky-Firebird-Seiji-Boston-Symphony/dp/B000KEWJLE/

[jrsnfld]

Are you thinking of Giulini/CSO on EMI?

--Jeff

[M forever]

I still think Dutoit's version is fabulous, and the sound is very
good, too, although it doesn't seem fashionable to like Dutoit. But I
have heard few versions which are as well played, as colorful, as
musically detailed as his.

Another favorite which has all the above qualities is Salonen/
Philharmonia. It also features some really outstanding solo playing,
especially the oboe and horn. Some of the complex percussion writing,
e.g. in the infernal dance, comes through better and clearer than on
most other recordings I have heard.

[M forever]

On Oct 13, 11:58 am, Bob Harper <bob.har...@comcast.net> wrote:
> On 10/13/12 8:06 AM, Gerard wrote:
>
>
>
>
>
>
>

> > JohnGavin<dagd...@gmail.com>  typed:

>
> > The classic recommendation is Dorati on Mercury.
> > "Second" choices are Gergiev (Kirov Orchestra) and Davis (Concertgebouw
> > Orchestra).
>
> >> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>
> >> How is Boulez/Chicago,
>
> > That's a fine one too.
>
> >> Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?
>
> > Never heard them (excepted Abbado's Firebird SDuite).
>
> >> Also did Karajan ever record it?
>
> > No.
>
> I have the Davis on a Phillips two-fer with Petrushka and one of the
> most stunningly recorded Rites I know of. And the two VPO/Dohnanyi discs
> of Sravinsky/Bartok on Eloquence are not to be sneezed at.

That's a rather good performance, but the sound is a little more
distanced and muffled than other typical Decca recordings from Vienna
from the period. Still, it's not bad at all. To hear the WP in this
repertoire, I prefer the live DVD with Gergiev though.

The best complete Firebird I have ever heard live was with Dohnányi
and the Cleveland Orchestra. Unfortunately, they didn't make a
recording though.

[Herman]

Le dimanche 14 octobre 2012 20:02:28 UTC+2, M forever a écrit :


>
> Another favorite which has all the above qualities is Salonen/
>
> Philharmonia. It also features some really outstanding solo playing,
>
> especially the oboe and horn. Some of the complex percussion writing,
>
> e.g. in the infernal dance, comes through better and clearer than on
>
> most other recordings I have heard.

Many of those Salonen / Philharmonia recordings from the 90s are very good, esp. the elusive 'Orpheus' coupled with Petrouschka.

[Herman]

BTW Salonen's 1989 Philharmonia Firebird (coupled with Jeu de Cartes) is the full 1910 version.

[Alan Cooper]

Herman <her...@yahoo.com> wrote in
news:dd326bdb-b44a-43c0...@googlegroups.com:

> BTW Salonen's 1989 Philharmonia Firebird (coupled with Jeu de Cartes)
> is the full 1910 version.

So is Nagano/LSO, iirc. Another fine performance that brings out the
orchestral color but lacks the rhythmic energy of Salonen.

AC

[J.Martin]

Agree with what's been said so far about Dorati--that's certainly one
of the versions you must hear. I have no strong opinion about format:
this one has always sounded very good. I still play the vinyl, and
that may be best of all!

Of the Boulez recordings, I much prefer NY, in fact that one's
probably my current favorite. Very precise rhythmically, vivid
coloration, just wonderful. The Chicago recording strikes me as rote
by comparison. The NY is coupled with a great version of the somewhat
neglected Nightingale suite, btw.

[MELMOTH]

Ce cher mammif�re du nom de JohnGavin nous susurrait, le samedi
13/10/2012, dans nos oreilles grandes ouvertes mais un peu sales tout
de m�me, et dans le message
<4b0a0fa4-ceec-4501...@googlegroups.com>, les doux
m�lismes suivants :

> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.

*Dorati*...
*Boulez*...

--
Car avec beaucoup de science, il y a beaucoup de chagrin ; et celui qui
accro�t sa science accro�t sa douleur.
[Eccl�siaste, 1-18]
MELMOTH - souffrant

[jrsnfld]

On Oct 18, 10:37 am, MELMOTH <t...@free.fr> wrote:
> Ce cher mammif re du nom de JohnGavin nous susurrait, le samedi
> 13/10/2012, dans nos oreilles grandes ouvertes mais un peu sales tout
> de m me, et dans le message
> <4b0a0fa4-ceec-4501...@googlegroups.com>, les doux
> m lismes suivants :
>
> > I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>
> *Dorati*...

Which?

> *Boulez*...

Which?

--Jeff

[Matthew B. Tepper]

jrsnfld <jrs...@aol.com> appears to have caused the following letters to
be typed in news:9dd5a7fc-98bb-4c39-abfc-
0e5c39...@ro10g2000pbc.googlegroups.com:

Just imagine if he'd answered "*Stokowski*"!

--
Matthew B. Tepper: WWW, science fiction, classical music, ducks!!
Read about "Proty" here: http://home.earthlink.net/~oy/proty.html
To write to me, do for my address what Androcles did for the lion
Opinions expressed here are not necessarily those of my employers.

[3Bs]

On Oct 13, 4:37 pm, Paul Goldstein <pgold...@newsguy.com> wrote:
> The Dorati on Mercury is, IMO, the best orchestral recording Mercury ever made.
> Try to hear it on SACD, although the Redbook CD is plenty good too.

How is it that the SACD is out of print? Market for this are through
the roof.

[Oscar]

On Friday, October 19, 2012 7:41:05 PM, 3Bs wrote:
>
> How is it that the SACD is out of print? Market for this are through
> the roof.

It's been OOP for at least four, almost five, years.

[gggg...@gmail.com]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 4:54:30 AM UTC-10, JohnGavin wrote:
> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>

> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?

>
> Also did Karajan ever record it?
>

> Thanks.

The following is a recent list of recommended recordings:

http://www.musicweb-international.com/recommends/home.htm

[Orchman]

On Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 5:22:07 AM UTC-4, gggg...@gmail.com wrote:

> > How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?> >

Boulez/CSO = complete, very excellent.

Bernstein/NYPO/1957 - Suite - awesome, one of my two favorites...Giulini/CSO is the other...

[Terry]

On Sunday, 14 October 2012 01:54:30 UTC+11, JohnGavin wrote:
> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>

> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?
>

> Also did Karajan ever record it?
>
> Thanks.

Not sure why I'm replying to a four-year-old post, but Dorati is excellent in the recordings he made with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and with the London Symphony Orchestra. There's also a particularly good recording of Ansermet conducting the New Philharmonia Orchestra. These are my recommendations.

I don't think Karajan ever recorded it. In fact, as far as I can recall, he didn't record much Stravinsky at all.

[M forever]

I actually got an email notification about this post after all these years! Well, 4 years isn't that long... But as far as The Firebird is concerned, nothing has really "changed" in the meantime anyway.
The above are all good recommendations, but honestly, when it comes to this piece, "interpretation" isn't all that important, more a meticulous execution of the highly detailed score. Dorati and Ansermet were very good at that, but so were many others, and so there are many recordings which offer the same value musically but which are better orchestrally and as far as recorded sound is concerned.
There is a long list of those, I still think Dutoit/OSM is particularly good when it comes to playing and sound, as is Salonen/Philharmonia, Boulez/CSO, or Gergiev/Kirov - the latter is a particularly colorful one with the dark and rich colors produced by the Russian orchestra.
There is also an Ansermet recording with the Suisse Romande which is kind of interesting because that orchestra leaned towards a more traditional French palette, perhaps coming a little closer to what the piece sounded like at its premiere. I wonder if there is a recording with the conductor of that premiere, Gabriel Pierné, but I was not able to find one. He died in 1937, so there are some recordings with him, but not very many.

And yes, Karajan never recorded the work, and he conducted the suite a few times in the 30s and 50s (see www.karajan.org).

[MIFrost]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 11:06:55 AM UTC-4, Gerard wrote:
> JohnGavin <dag...@gmail.com> typed:

>
> The classic recommendation is Dorati on Mercury.

Is that with Detroit or LSO?

MIFrost

[jrsnfld]

The Mercury recording is the LSO. While it's a "classic" recommendation in part because it was one of the first in good sound (for its time), I've never felt it belonged in the leading group of choices. The Detroit recording (London Decca) has spectacular, more "up-to-date" sound. The Mercury is not better played or conducted, and furthermore only really appeals now if you have a particular preference or nostalgia for the older Mercury engineering.

Looking at this 3+ year old thread, I wondered if anything new had come along in complete Firebirds. There's a Nelsons/CBSO disc and a Paavo Jarvi/OdeParis DVD. The thread also gave short shrift to the excellent Gergiev/Mariinsky recording, and there's also Gergiev/Mariinsky and Gergiev/Vienna on DVD. Also there are at least two Boulez DVDs which might have the advantage of "live" conditions to keep 'ole Pierre on his toes.

As for Suites, there are now two Jansons discs, and Sokhiev, among other choices.

Anything else that has changed since 2012 or simply was ignored back then?

--Jeff

[M forever]

Hey, I just mentioned the Gergiev recording! And yes, the DVD with the WPh from Salzburg is great, too. I don't think much of major interest will have come out in the past 4 years. As you know, the recording industry is more or less gone.
I also think that since there isn't all that much to "interpret" in the music, we are really already very well served with Firebirds, both complete and the suites.
Looking through the earlier responses in the thread reminded me about the Davis recording from Amsterdam which I have never heard but should probably check out, seeing how good his Sacre recording is. And I had overlooked there is one with Chailly, too, that might be worth checking out.

[jrsnfld]

----
For some reason I didn't see your post until after I was done writing that...it still looks to me like Gergiev was underappreciated--just two mentions (perhaps I'm really just confessing that I shouldn't have left him out of my post).

The Boulez DVD from the Louvre looks like an interesting recent addition to the catalogue. I suspect that made the rounds in sharing groups when the concert was broadcast in 2010 but I can't remember it at the moment. I could imagine Paavo Jarvi also does well with this music.

It's too bad Chailly didn't do a complete Firebird in Amsterdam. There is that Jansons CD if you're trying to track down Concertgebouw recordings of the Suite.

Although I agree that the music doesn't require a heavy hand of "interpretation," it is great to hear it with new generations of fine musicians. I wouldn't mind a flood of releases if it meant very new complete versions from the great orchestras around the world. I mean, necessary or not, I'd be first in line if Chailly recorded it in Leipzig, Nelsons in Boston, YNS in Philadelphia, Muti in Chicago, Robertson in St Louis, Rattle in London or Berlin, Gatti in Paris, Belohlavek in Prague, Kocsis in Budapest, and so on...

--Jeff

[M forever]

I wasn't aware the Chailly recording is only the suite, just requested that from the library, but then again, there are plenty of very good recordings of this work, so that's not really that much of a "problem"...
I can't really think of a recording that wasn't mentioned here yet that might be particularly interesting, for musical reasons, or because it offers a new or "unusual" angle on the work, like I said, there isn't really that much room for "interpretation" and "deep insights" there..

[MiNe109]

On 3/26/15 4:10 PM, jrose...@ametsoc.org wrote:

> Anything else that has changed since 2012 or simply was ignored back
> then?

There's also François-Xavier Roth conducting Les Siècles on contemporary
instruments from 2011. Not on Amazon but still on Arkiv.

Stephen

[Bob Harper]

A fine performance I've not yet seen mentioned is Dohnanyi/VPO,
available quite economically on Eloquence.

Bob Harper

[M forever]

I have seen that, along with other recordings of more or less contemporary repertoire (e.g. La mer) and it certainly something that would interest me, but I am a little hesitant since I watched their performance on sort of period instruments of Le Sacre at the Proms, and they sounded much more like a modern orchestra than French orchestras in older recordings, so I am a little skeptical about how "period" that really is.
Looks to me though like you can still get the original CD from Amazon.

[Bozo]

>On Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 4:22:07 AM UTC-5, gggg...@gmail.com wrote:
> On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 4:54:30 AM UTC-10, JohnGavin wrote:

Piemontesi :

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3BZseuH0-0I

[MiNe109]

On 3/27/15 12:18 AM, M forever wrote:
> On Thursday, March 26, 2015 at 10:29:43 PM UTC-4, MINe109 wrote:
>> On 3/26/15 4:10 PM, jrose...@ametsoc.org wrote:
>>
>>> Anything else that has changed since 2012 or simply was ignored
>>> back then?
>>
>> There's also François-Xavier Roth conducting Les Siècles on
>> contemporary instruments from 2011. Not on Amazon but still on
>> Arkiv.

> I have seen that, along with other recordings of more or less
> contemporary repertoire (e.g. La mer) and it certainly something that
> would interest me, but I am a little hesitant since I watched their
> performance on sort of period instruments of Le Sacre at the Proms,
> and they sounded much more like a modern orchestra than French
> orchestras in older recordings, so I am a little skeptical about how
> "period" that really is. Looks to me though like you can still get
> the original CD from Amazon.

You're right. By a quirk of the search terms I chose, I found the Korean
import is no longer available on US Amazon.

It's on youtube:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFYCPwi_sf4

They definitely use old instruments, cornets, piston horns, etc

Stephen

[Kerrison]

Is the clang of a tubular bell at the start of the 'Infernal Dance' in the original ballet score, or just an effective Stokowski-ism? ...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R5FwMgTQ80k

[Sacqueboutier]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 10:54:30 AM UTC-4, JohnGavin wrote:
> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>
> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?
>
> Also did Karajan ever record it?
>
> Thanks.

If you are to have only one, I think Dorati/London on Mercury
is the way to go.

Don

[Terry]

...but I'm one person who thinks the Detroit recording is superior in every reaspect.

[M forever]

But why this one, of the many good ones there are out there? This is not a piece which requires much "interpretation" or "depth of insight", and there are plenty of recordings which do the score justice, and plenty which are at least somewhat better played and better sounding than this one - so why is this "the one"? For you, maybe for nostalgic reasons, but why is it your prime recommendation for others, too?

[Herman]

On Saturday, April 4, 2015 at 6:39:03 PM UTC+2, M forever wrote:

>
> But why this one, of the many good ones there are out there? This is not a piece which requires much "interpretation" or "depth of insight", and there are plenty of recordings which do the score justice, and plenty which are at least somewhat better played and better sounding than this one - so why is this "the one"? For you, maybe for nostalgic reasons, but why is it your prime recommendation for others, too?

Because this is RMCR, where the demographics explain why most recommendations are from this era.

[John Wiser]

"Herman" <her...@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:0b5acf7a-e883-4b8e...@googlegroups.com...

Ah, zatso, perfessor?
Where are these demographics published?

jdw

[Dave Cook]

Good to hear from you, Michael.

My choices here would be the Giulini/Philhamonia recording of the suite and the Chailly on Decca for it's spectacular sonics.

Dave Cook

[Gerard]

"Dave Cook" wrote in message
news:c4c998e5-f7ac-42ec...@googlegroups.com...

Good to hear from you, Michael.

My choices here would be the Giulini/Philhamonia recording of the suite and
the Chailly on Decca for it's spectacular sonics.

=====================

Isn't Chailly's recording only the suite as well?

[Dave Cook]

Yes, looks like Chailly is the 1945 suite.

Dave Cook

[jrsnfld]

On Monday, April 6, 2015 at 3:34:54 AM UTC-7, Gerard wrote:
> "Dave Cook" wrote in message

> My choices here would be the Giulini/Philhamonia recording of the suite and
> the Chailly on Decca for it's spectacular sonics.
>
> =====================
>
> Isn't Chailly's recording only the suite as well?

Of the three Concertgebouw recordings of the Suite from the digital era, which has the best sound...Jansons, Chailly, or Giulini? I'm not sure which I prefer on account of interpretation. If spectacular sonics are the issue, then someone with an audiophile system might want to weigh in...I'm not convinced Chailly has better sound than Jansons.

I'm only ruling out van Beinum on account of a sonics--his recording shouldn't be dismissed otherwise. And of course Colin Davis's great recording is still a viable choice of the complete Firebird.

--Jeff

[Gerard]

"jrsnfld" wrote in message
news:1643c598-78c6-4979...@googlegroups.com...

====================

I did a short compare (using my speakers of course ;-) ), and can give an
impression - not a carefully weighed out judgement.

I do NOT have the recording by Jansons; but generally I don't like the RCO
Live recordings very much (soundwise).
(
But Amazon reviews are very favorable about the sound here.
See
http://www.amazon.co.uk/Stravinsky-LOiseau-Feu-Sacre-Printemps/dp/B0018BF2NK/
)

Chailly sounds good, but 'clinical' - it's the product of multi miking I
suppose.
Giulini and Colin Davis have a more similar natural sound.

Actually the sound of Giulini's recording is "stunningly" good (when played
loudly): natural, good impression of the sound-of-the-hall.

I remember a review in which was said that Giulini's recording of
Mussorgsky's Pictures (on te same disc, with the Berliner Philharmoniker)
sounded much better than the Firebird BECAUSE the HALL (Concertgebouw) is
not very suited to this music by Stravinsky !!!
If this is true, than Giulini's recording is a miracle ;-)

[gggg gggg]

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 7:54:30 AM UTC-7, JohnGavin wrote:
> I have only Eiji Oue and Minnesota on a Reference Recording CD.
>
> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?
>
> Also did Karajan ever record it?
>
> Thanks.

https://www.talkclassical.com/66427-favorite-firebird-recordings.html

[Sol L. Siegel]

gggg gggg <gggg...@gmail.com> wrote:

On Saturday, October 13, 2012 at 7:54:30 AM UTC-7, JohnGavin wrote:

>> How is Boulez/Chicago, Abbado or one of the Bernsteins?

Boulez/NYPO is now available as a surround SACD on Dutton, making
a great performance even better. The Mehta/NYPO Sacre that comes
with it isn't in the same league IMO, but I don't care.

- Sol L. Siegel, Philadelphia, PA USA

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