Boulez Conducts Stravinsky (6 CD box set, FLAC)

Composer: Igor Stravinsky
Orchestra: Chicago Symphony Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, The Cleveland Orchestra, Berliner Philharmoniker,Ensemble Intercontemporain
Conductor: Pierre Boulez
Audio CD
Number of Discs: 6 CD box set
Format: FLAC (image+cue)
Label: Deutsche Grammophon
Size: 1.34 GB
Recovery: +3%
Scan: yes

CD 01
The Firebird (L’oiseau de feu)
Ballet (1910)
01 Introduction
02 Kashchei’s enchanted garden
03 Appearance of the Firebird pursued by Ivan Tsarevich
04 Dance of the Firebird
05 Ivan Tsarevich captures the Firebird
06 Supplication of the Firebird
07 Game of the Princesses with the golden apples
08 Sudden appearance of Ivan Tsarevich
09 Round dance of the Princesses
10 Daybreak
11 Magic carillon, appearance of Kashchei’s guardian monsters and capture of Ivan Tsarevich
12 Dance of Kashchei’s retinue under the spell of the Firebird
13 Infernal dance of all Kashchei’s subject’s
14 Lullaby of the Firebird
15 Collapse of Kashchei’s palace and dissolution of all enchantments – Reanimation of the petrified prisoners – General rejoicing
16 Fireworks
4 Etudes for Orchestra
17 Danse
18 Excentrique
19 Cantique
20 Madrid
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

CD 02
Petrouchka
Scene 1
01 First tableau
Scene 2
02 Second tableau
Scene 3
03 Third tableau
Scene 4
04 Fourth tableau
Le Sacre du Printemps
05 Part 1: L’Adoration de la Terre]
06 Part 2: Le Sacrifice
The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

CD 03
01 Scherzo Fantastique, Op.3
The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

02 Le Roi des étoiles
The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez, The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus, Gareth Morrell

Le Chant du Rossignol Poème symphonique for orchestra
03 Chant du Rossignol
04 Marche chinoise
05 Chant du Rossignol
06 Jeu du Rossignol mécanique
The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

Histoire du soldat
Concert suite
Part 1
07 The Soldier’s March
08 Music to Scene I
09 Music to Scene II
Part 2
10 The Royal March
11 The Little Concert
12 Three Dances (Tango-Waltz-Ragtime)
13 The Devil’s Dance
14 Great Choral
15 Triumphant March of the Devil
Members Of The Cleveland Orchestra, Pierre Boulez

CD 04
01 Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez

Symphonie de Psaumes
02 1. Exaudi orationem meam, Domine
03 2. Expectans expectavi Dominum
04 3. Alleluia, laudate Dominum
Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez, Rundfunkchor Berlin, Sigurd Brauns

Symphony in 3 Movements
05 1. Allegro
06 2. Andante – Interlude (L’istesso tempo)
07 3. Con moto
Berliner Philharmoniker, Pierre Boulez

CD 05
Ebony Concerto
01 Allegro moderato – Andante – Moderato – Con moto – Moderato – Vivo
Michel Arrignon, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

02 3 Pieces For Clarinet Solo
03 Concertino for String Quartet
04 8 Instrumental Miniatures for 15 players (1962)
Concerto in E flat “Dumbarton Oaks”
05 1. Tempo giusto
06 2. Allegretto
07 3. Con moto
Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

08 Elegié for Viola solo
Gérard Caussé

09 Epitaphium
10 Double Canon for String Quartet
Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

CD 06
Pastorale
01 Song without words for voice and four wind instruments
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Two Poems by Paul Verlaine
Russian translation by S. Mtusov
02 Gdye v lunnom svyetye (The White Moon)
03 Mrachniye sny (Wisdom)
John Shirley-Quirk, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Two Poems by Konstantin Bal’mont
04 1. Nyezabudochka-tsvyetochek (The Flower)
05 2. Golub’ (The Dove)

Three Japanese Lyrics
06 1. Akahito
07 2. Mazatsumi
08 3. Tsaraiuki

Three Songs (Recollections of my Childhood)
09 Sorochenka (The Magpie)
10 Vorona (The Rock)
11 Chicher-Yacher
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Pribaoutki (Four Songs)
12 Kornilo (Uncle Pierre)
13 Natashka (Natasha)
14 Polkovnik (The Colonel)
15 Staryets i zayats (The Old Man and The Hare)
John Shirley-Quirk, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Four Cat’s Cradle Songs
Sung in Russian
16 Spi, kot (Sleep, pussy)
17 Kot na pyechi (The cat on the stove)
18 Bai-bai (Lullaby)
19 U kota, kota (Father cat has…)
Ann Murray, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Four Songs
Sung in Russian
20 Sylezyen’ (The Drake)
21 Syektanskaya (A Russian Spiritual)
22 Gusi y lyebyedi (Geese and Swans)
23 Tilim-bom [1:09]

Tilim-Bom
24 Tilimbom, tilimbom

Mavra – opera Buffa in 1 Act
Sung in Russian
25 Song of Parasha “Droog moi mily”
Phyllis Bryn-Julson, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Three Songs from William Shakespeare
26 Musick to hear
27 Full fadom five
28 Spring (When Dasies pied)
Ann Murray, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
In memoriam Dylan Thomas

29 Do not go gentle into that good night
Robert Tear, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez
Elegy for John F. Kennedy

30 When a just man dies
John Shirley-Quirk, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Hugo Wolf (1860 – 1903)
Spanisches Liederbuch
Arr. Igor Stravinsky
31 Herr, was trägt der Boden hier.. (Lord, what does the ground here bear?)
32 Wunden trägst du.. (Thou art wounded)
Ann Murray, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Pierre Boulez

Fresh as a firebird

I’m no classical music expert by any means. I still have a pair of ears that tire of the electronic beat pulse of our times. This collection is fresh, vibrant, lively, and concise. The dynamics are not overblown up like many “modern” recordings. Gentle depth here. Worth a listen, and if you can get a real cd well worth it.