the early stravinsky ballet scores

it's tough to not vote for Rite, even tho it's the only one I'd consider "overrated". It captures pretty much everything that Stravinsky fans love about Stravinsky, and expands on most of what was suggested by the first two (rhythmic ferocity, unique blend of chromaticism and then-contemporary symphonic harmony, Russian folk influence). However, I love all of these (and probably listen to Firebird the most).

none of these are overrated

but i went with "petrushka," which is in some ways the weirdest and most haunting one

iirc the versions of these that stravinsky conducted himself are not terribly good, for some reason

cuz he wasnt much of a conductor

stravinsky began composing les noces shortly after the premiere of the rite of spring and thematically and harmonically it belongs half here and half in the later stravinsky ballets thread that might grace ilx some other rainy afternoon

To me Les Noces is the end of early era Stravinsky

nonsense, the 1940 stravinsky version of the rite is great. it's way too fast and way too aggressive and the perfect riposte to stokowski.

and yeah, if les noces was on this ballet ballot I'd be voting for it

Firebird for me. For the finale alone, it crushes the others, but there are lots of gorgeous passages throughout, with hints of Mahler and Rimsky-Korsakov and so on. There are works from his neoclassical period - the Cantata, Symphony of Psalms - that I would take over Rite and Petrushka too.

The Stravinsky-conducted Firebird is good - textural richness and what have you - but there is one rather queer phrasing of horns near the end, which I recall as rather bathetic.

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Would've probably voted Firebird.

any consensus on the best versions of these?

didn't notice this poll. Would have probably voted for Petrushka though it and Le Sacre are p much neck and neck if I had to swear in court. Les Noces does belong with these, as does Renard and some of the short vocal works.

Favorite versions of mine:

Rite: Ancerl/Czech PO, Ozawa/Chicago
Petrushka: Ancerl/Czech PO, Ansermet/Orchestre du Suisse Romande
Les Noces: Craft (Naxos), Gergiev (LSO Live)
Renard: Ansermet
Russian vocal works: old DG disc conducted by Boulez with Bryn-Julson et al <---- a must-have
Firebird: I v seldom throw this on tbh but Dorati on Mercury floats my boat as does Ansermet on Decca.

for les noces i like the eotvos, and this crazy-ass midi version by the dmitri pokrovsky ensemble. for rite i like stravinsky's 1940 recording; it's not "right", but it's good.

the two-piano version of the rite is something every fan should hear at least once too. the version with tilson thomas and somebody is really good. AND JESUS the amazing amazing Paul Jacobs/Ursula Oppens recording of the two piano version of Petruchka, go to youtube right now and hear it. (On CD on Arbiter but I think out of print)

Also, not for everyday listening, but the Gergiev version of the rite chooses to play the 'these unlettered pagans are actually about to kill you' angle to the max.

yeah, the two-piano version of rite is really interesting. it doesn't seem like it should work but it kinda does.

stravinsky always wrote at the piano iirc

(the mind blowing thing for barely literate me is that so many composers DIDN'T)