Janacek and Stravinsky

If you like the glagolithic Mass, try Ancerl's version.Then go on to Bernstein conducting Stravinsky 'Les Noces'. There's a seriously good Ansermet Stravinsky box, which contains some great performances - his Renard is one of my favourites. You might like Stravinsky's vocal works - both the spiritual (Mass, Symphony of Psalms etc.) and the secular (Soldier's tale, Renard, Noces etc)

Bakala, Ancerl, Mackerras.

It's a great disc.

Paul Goldstein

I'm surprised no one has mentioned the Kubelik DG recording of the Glagolitic Mass. I think it remains one of the most exciting and best executed of all. Henry Fogel

Guillaume,

There are at least a dozen recordings of Agon. Here's a discography compiled from a recent thread:

Stravinsky/L.A. Festival Orchestra Rosbaud/Orchestra of the SW German Radio (Adès 202 892) Mravinsky/Leningrad David Atherton/London Sinfonietta (Japanese Decca UCCD-3138 [433 782-2]) Michael Tilson Thomas/San Francisco SO Craft/Orchestra of St. Luke's Leinsdorf/BSO (Ancerl?) Robert Irving/New York City Ballet Orchestra (Kapp KCL 9037) Hiroyuki Iwaki/Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (Virgin Classics VC 7 91101-2) Vladimir Ashkenazy/Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin (Decca 443 772-2) Michael Stern/Tonhalle Orchester Zurich (Denon Co-78972) Mario Venzago/Basler Sinfonie-Orchester (Pan Classics 510 069)

I've heard the first six listed, and I love the Stravinsky and Rosbaud unconditionally despite their use of somewhat less than perfect forces. In both cases, it's the intensely alert involvement of the conductor that carries the day. (Stravinsky's recording has just been reissued as part of a multi-CD set including Stravinsky recordings of all the ballets, whether or not on this continent, I'm not sure.) It's been so long since I heard Mravinsky I don't remember what I thought of it, but I'd love to hear it again.

I heard Craft and MTT when they were first issued. Unfortunately, I found them comparatively disappointing, although I seem to recall that MTT in particular had spectacular performers. I'd have to listen again before I could express my reservations more specifically.

David Atherton's recording with the London Sinfonietta is sensational in every respect. His performers could not be more secure in their roles, and Atherton is perfectly attuned to the elegant precision demanded by the piece. Unfortunately, it's only been issued on CD in Japan. (Now in exile in Hong Kong, if exile it is, Atherton was Music Director of the London Sinfonietta during a particularly glorious period in the ensemble's history. During his tenure, the London Sinfonietta organized mammoth Schoenberg, Boulez, Stravinsky, and Webern/Schubert retrospectives. Originally issued on Argo, their Agon recording is a souvenir of the Stravinsky retrospective.)

-david gable

Robert Irving/New York City Ballet Orchestra (Kapp KCL 9037)

Best recording of Agon I've heard! It's on the 'Balanchine album' I think. The one you have with Stravinsky conducting is much better than the performance on the 'Stravinsky in America' disc...I own that. Wish I could still find that recording though.

'Jarrett Hather' wrote

'Robert Irving/New York City Ballet Orchestra (Kapp KCL 9037)

Best recording of Agon I've heard!'

I agree - it's a fine one.

i'd still like to hear what Mravinsky and LenPO do with it, tho!!

all.

dk not get chance.

[SNIP]

[SNIP]

I think you'll find that MTT's Agon is with the London Symphony rather than the SFS

Thanks for the list, David. Of those, Mravinsky jumps out at me as being most intriguing, and by your description the David Atherton (who I've never heard of) sounds interesting as well. I imagine they'll both be rather hard to track down, however. Oh well, I decided a little while ago to curtail my CD-buying, and if I only lust after hard-to-find-CDs, I might just be able to keep my promise.

Is that the same as, or different from, the one that appeared on a Nonesuch CD in the early CD era?

Different recordings, for sure.

Paul Goldstein