Audio CD review:
Don Christlieb, George Neikrug, Benny Goodman, Charles Russo, Jack Kreiselman, Kalman Bloch, Paul E. Howland, Roy d'Antonio, John Stafford Smith, Igor Stravinsky - Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky

Don Christlieb, George Neikrug, Benny Goodman, Charles Russo, Jack Kreiselman, Kalman Bloch, Paul E. Howland, Roy d'Antonio, John Stafford Smith, Igor Stravinsky - Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky

Band: Don Christlieb, George Neikrug, Benny Goodman, Charles Russo, Jack Kreiselman, Kalman Bloch, Paul E. Howland, Roy d'Antonio, John Stafford Smith, Igor Stravinsky Title: Stravinsky Conducts Stravinsky Rating: Release Date: 07 December, 1999 Media: Audio CD Tracks:

Customer Reviews Packaging or Plenty The "Original Jacket Collection" concept was beguiling in a way--having those miniature LP jackets like something that Barbie and Ken might collect after taking a Music Appreciation course--and it sort of made sense in the case of the George Szell/Cleveland Orchestra Beethoven set: the symphonies were arranged chronologically, without a symphony being cut short on one CD and continuing on another. When this set was first issued it offered a conveniently packaged survey of Stravinsky by Stravinsky for those who didn't feel the need for, or didn't wish to spend the money for, a comprehensive compilation. In this case, however, replicating the LPs meant that the full potential of CD recording time was largely wasted: some of the CDs have less than 45 minutes of music. As noted in other reviews, there are also some inexplicable choices in this set: having the Petruschka Suite but no full ballet score is one of them. Now, however, the entire Stravinsky by Stravinsky recorded legacy on Sony is available in an absurdly reasonably priced set (ASIN B000PTYUQG. ). For about half of what this set would cost a buyer gets more than three times the music. The written material is on the perfunctory side, but that information can be obtained from other sources. So, would you like those cute little LP jackets or more music?. Stravinsky the Composer, not Stravinsky the Conductor You will not necessarily be getting the best recordings of these works. It is a pretty good collection, lots of music from Stravinsky's entire carreer, but one must keep in mind that Stravinsky was a brilliant composer, and not a commanding maestro. For example, something like the Boulez/Cleveland Rite of Spring is far superior to those in this collection. He is a vastly better conductor, and is much more capable of making the orchestra perform Stravinsky's intentions than Stravinsky is. All in all, however, I am more than glad I own this set. Staggering! All the Stravinsky I'll ever need! As a young music enthusiast, the draw to me was to hear these pieces as Stravinsky conducted them and to get so many of them at such a great price, not to have the original jackets for the purpose of reminiscing. While I had heard some Stravinsky compositions prior to my purchase, this was the first (and only) Stravinsky material I have ever owned. So, as someone who needed a good jump start into the works of Stravinsky (by Stravinsky), this set has proven totally invaluable. And while more information could have been packed onto these cds, I do appreciate how closely these discs have stuck to the original releases. I don't know about the portion of Petroushka which some reviewers claim is missing (as I don't know any other version), but I was totally blown away at hearing this version of Petroushka anyhow. In all, for whatever faults some sticklers may find here or there with this set, the value of this material collected in such a way (and at such a price) by far outweighs any possible faults. . . You can see a complete list of all Don Christlieb, George Neikrug, Benny Goodman, Charles Russo, Jack Kreiselman, Kalman Bloch, Paul E. Howland, Roy d'Antonio, John Stafford Smith, Igor Stravinsky discography, or go back to the Don Christlieb, George Neikrug, Benny Goodman, Charles Russo, Jack Kreiselman, Kalman Bloch, Paul E. Howland, Roy d'Antonio, John Stafford Smith, Igor Stravinsky tabs