Stravinsky: Symphonies & Concertos
I was just thrilled to listen to Stravinsky’s Firebird last week; what amazing music that is. Still change is tough in music, too. And new ways of expressing music, emotion, rhythms, and joy are frequently subject to ridicule and abuse until they are understood and accepted. This was certainly the case with Stravinsky during the early times with his music.
Igor Stravinsky created one such strong reaction with the first performance in 1913 of his ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The rite of Spring). This event marked the composer as a Master musician. Stravinsky remained a leader in musical development.
All of the works in this set of orchestral pieces were written during 1920 until about 1953, after which he adopted the 12-tone technique first developed by Arnold Schoenberg.
This exciting collection of Symphonies and Concerti features music written in the 20th century, a period of enormous change, and development, both political and artistically.
Tracks are as follows:
Stravinsky:
- Symphony in 3 movements
Robert Johnston (harp)
- Violin Concerto in D
Maxim Vengerov (violin)
- Symphonies of Wind Instruments
Franz Welser-Möst
- Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra
Michel Béroff (piano)
- Pulcinella
Robert Lloyd (bass)
- Suites Nos. 1 & 2 for Small Orchestra
Northern Sinfonia Orchestra
- Danses Concertantes
Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
- Ebony Concerto
Michael Collins (clarinet)
Here is a video of Gil Shaham, performing the Stravinsky Violin Concerto – 1st Movement:
Tags: Igor Stravinsky, symphonies, concerti