Ballets

I must respectfully disagree with Mr. Johnson's remarks concerning the remastering of this set. While I am sometimes sceptical of the claims of 24 bit remastering, this one indeed has improved the sound compared to the big 22 disc box set Sony released in 2007 (the first 7 discs of which are exact duplicates of this "MASTERS" box set). While the general orchestral "sound" remains the same (i.e. warmth, acoustics, detail etc.) this remastering greatly improves the crude dynamics heard in earlier releases. They now sound more natural, less processed/manipulated, less glarey. No, it's not a night and day difference, but on a good system, the more natural perspective and especially the more refined dynamics make all these performances sound more realistic and less "dated".I needn't expound upon the authentic merits of the performances here. They are all splendid and sound better than ever. This set is highly recommended.

This compilation serves as a good supplement to Stravinsky's own run, especially given the close relationship they shared. Craft's recordings are better recorded and are very well performed. For the price and scope of works, not a bad investment. However, I wouldn't want to do without the many other recordings of individual works by the likes of Boulez, Solti, Bernstein and others who take more chances with interpretations. Whether they work or not depends a lot on my listening mood at the time.

This review applies to the 7 disc set issued 9/6/11. Some of ther other sets in this series have wonderful remastered sound (Szell/Haydn, Levine/Mahler, Bernstein/Bernstein) that is clearly superior to older CD issues. I ordered this set hoping it would finally improve upon the two decade old masterings Sony gave us in its complete Stravinsky box. No such luck. These sound like those same problematic masterings. My guess is that at the time Sony (or maybe John McClure) was obsessed with removing tape hiss from its CD reissues, and applied the No-Noise program or something equivalent to its transfer of the original analog tapes. The result is that there's no tape hiss, to be sure, but also no air surrounding the performers -- something is missing that makes the sound deadly dull and sterile. Whatever was done, these CDs are not in the same league as others being reissued with the same style cover art and which have been given stunningly superior remasterings. Instead, Sony has just repackaged what they gave us decades ago. Surely these classic performances deserve to be issued in sound comparable to what Sony is giving us elsewhere.

As with most boxes of this kind there are hits as well as misses. Nothing is badly done, although I find the Sacre and a few others more successful in other recordings. This is certainly good value for the money.

Magnificent. Nobody except maybe Boulez does Stravinsky as well as Stravinsky himself. A handful of the works I'd never heard though they are important works, so this has been a really welcome issue. The price is also wonderful, even if the box lacks notes. Most highly recommended.

Aloha! Playing this recording now as I write, on the original Columbia 3 LP Box Set, Catalog # D3d 761. Purchased this week for $2.00 at a local used book and music store associated run by a non-profit called the Friends of the Library of Hawaii (FLH).This is the very first review I have submitted to Amazon. I was compelled to do so after reading some of the well-intentioned but factually inaccurate comments insinuating that the age of these recordings is a negative.NOTHING could be further from the truth. A lifelong audiophile, I likely have upwards of 10,000 LPs and 5,000 CDs, as well as 500+ cassettes and 100 78rpm shellac records. It is common knowledge amongst music collectors that the VERY BEST music recordings are from the Golden Era from around 1953 when stereo started to be recorded (not released to the public until 1958) up to around 1963 (when vacuum tube recording and mastering gear was replaced by more practical but acoustically far inferior solid state devices).100% analog recordings and masterings produce the highest level of musical reproduction. Which explains why recordings from 1958-1963 by Mercury Living Presence, RCA Living Stereo, Decca/London, HMV/EMI etc sell for very high prices to collectors around the world.In fact, monophonic vinyl lps, from around 1947 to 1957 in particular, have strengths that even the best stereo recordings from the Golden Era, lack. Namely, incredible dynamic range with minimal compression. A Mercury Living Presence mono recording from around 1954 will make your jaw drop, it is so alive, dynamic and vivid. By the time Stereo was introduced, recording labels started compressing the signal. In part because customers complained about their tonearms (heavy duty metal ones at that!) jumped out of the groove during bass heavy passages of classical recordings. Collectors will seek out the 1st stamper (1st pressing) of many recordings because later pressings often lowered the dynamic range due to customer complaints (or other reasons).So WHENEVER you hear someone commenting about the sound quality of a classical recording, and are critical of the old age of the recording, take those comments with a large number of grains of salt.PS Of all my CDs, the very best ones are transfers of 100% analog RCA Living Stereo or Mercurys. Chesky Records is one example; they reissued some Readers Digest labeled RCA Living Stereos on CD in the '90s and they are shockingly dynamic and alive. The vast majority, and I mean vast, of modern classical recordings (and pop and jazz) are compressed and dynamically lifeless/sterile, and are hard to listen to for extended periods of time. It is one of the great mysteries of life that 60+ years on, the recording labels put out stuff that is dramatically and demonstrably inferior to what we were gifted during the Golden Era.

Some of Stravinsky's works I love, and some I can take-or-leave, but when this box set came on the market, I had to have it. Part of the reason is I'm a repertoire collector and while I had most of these works already on LP or CD, I didn't have them all. Plus, it never hurts to have another version of Firebird or Pulcinella, two of my favorite works. This is a 6-CD collection of previously issued works on the Koch and Music Masters labels, now reissued under the Naxos imprint, bundled together for the first time (at least as far as I know) and it's an easy way to get all Stravinsky's ballet music in one inexpensive purchase (you can also buy the CDs separately, if you wish). These works were recorded between 1992 and 2007, all under the direction of Robert Craft, with the LSO or Philharmoina Orchestra for the most part, so these are not the usual Naxos "never heard of them" orchestras! For those not aware, Robert Craft spent a considerable amount of time with Stravinsky, and had more of an insight into what Stravinsky intended.The recordings are solid, although not as dynamic and tight as some competing releases; they are not bad, just not great engineering compared to some other versions of the work (to give an example, I compared the Firebird in this set to the LSO's recording under Valery Gergiev, which is superbly recorded, and the difference is immediately audible). The orchestras are excellent, through out these recordings, though.What about the interpretations? Well, some argue Craft's view on these works is about as similar to Stravinsky's intent as possible, but comparing a few tracks to those done with Stravinsky as the conductor shows differences in pace and emphasis, but that's to be expected. And, as with many composers, what they imagine their music should sound like isn't always what today's audiences prefer! None the less, this box set of Stravinsky's ballets is an excellent way to add all his ballet music to your library, and have good interpretations of them all. While I prefer other versions of the Firebird and Pulcinella, it was a pleasure to listen to these recordings, too. And some of the lesser-known works are quite interesting and hard to find on any other CD. Overall, a great buy at a competitive price with some wonderful music.

Sony nos ofrece en 7 CDs los Ballets de Stravinsky dirigidos por el propio compositor, entre 1960-67, a varias orquestas (CBC Symphony Orchestra, Columbia, Cleveland, y Chicago).El sonido, para mí, es un estéreo bueno propio de la época, aunque los expertos en audición, con equipos de sonido de muchos kilates, podrán ratificar, matizar o discrepar de esta apreciación.Las interpretaciones son claras, rigurosas, con disciplina rítmica, estéticamente a medio caballo entre tradición y modernidad. Stravinsky se muestra con un discurso directo, analítico, poco suntuoso, pero sobre todo muy teatral.En fin, ¿hay alguien más autorizado que el propio compositor para dirigir sus propias obras?. Si se añade que Stravinsky fue considerado un buen ejecutor de sus composiciones..., tenemos el resultado: Histórico, y en unas condiciones técnicas muy considerables.

Magnifique coffret ! 5 étoiles parce que l'interprétation est magnifique. 5 étoiles parce que même si Stravinsky n'est pas le seul bon chef d'orchestre, et que d'autres savent aussi donner une bonne interprétation de tous ces ballets, Stravinsky c'est Stravinsky, et donc il est obligatoire de connaître les propres interprétations du maître ! 5 étoiles également pour le son : très bon. Bonne écoute.

Grabaciones históricas de todos los ballets de Stravinsky dirigidas por él mismo que pertenecían al antiguo catálogo de CBS y que ahora pertenecen a Sony. Un precio excepcional para unos CD antológicos que deberían escuchar todos los aficionados por ofrecer la versión de su autor