Search - Stravinsky - Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring) / Symphonies D'Instrument Vent / Boulez, London Symphony Orchestra on DVD

No Ballet ?

El Barto | Houston, TX USA | 07/15/2002

(1 out of 5 stars)

"If they make this one for a DVD production, they have to make it
with Ballet. It is like they make a opera DVD production
with only orchestra. I would recommend that you
stick to your CD or LP collection and wait until
(Orchestra + Ballet) DVD production comes out."

A nice DVD presentation but...

Wildfire | UK | 08/05/2001

(2 out of 5 stars)

"Boulez is not the best conductor of this work, notwithstanding his friendship with Strravinsky. To be sure, he can conduct "Le Sacre" with the steely precision of a pianola roll; he's a past master at awkward rhythms and overcoming hideous performance difficulties (and this work is full of both). His interpretation here is accurate but too sedate for me. It is even more gentlemanly than his renderings of the early 1970s. Le Sacre is raw and primitive and screams out for passion which Boulez fails to lend it. It might sound good the first time you hear it; the orchestra is up to scratch; the climaxes are nicely loud and it moves on in its merry, noisy way. There are worse interpretations. But as recorded performances go, it is not one that bears repeated audition.He does much better with the Symphonies of Wind Instruments, a more formal neo-classical work that comes across better for the conductor not attempting to get passionate about it.It is possible that at times in their lives, Boulez and Stravinsky might have coincided in their musical objectives but there really is nothing akin about Boulez at any time and the Stravinsky who wrote this work. If the studio insisted on a Boulez recording, they might have chosen his Varese interpretations - utterly competent - and left Le Sacre du Printemps to a more passionate interpreter."

Le Massacre,by Monsieur Boulez

Guntram | PR,Brazil | 08/19/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Impossible to qualify properly this "Massacre du Printemps" signed by Monsieur Boulez.Just watch some musicians semblances in the orchestra;the most phlegmatic british performer simply can not be impassible in face of this visceratical masterpiece.Of course,technical accuracy is an essential requirement but not the only one!.I'm so sorry because I don't know english enough to describe how lazy,boring is this.Nonetheless,very fine picture and sound;one of the best I purchase on DVD."

This is a great concert rendition

Sensei | 06/13/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"First off I would like to compliment Pierre Boulez in his wonderful rendition of Le Sacre du Printemps. True there is no ballet in this performance but one cannot simply make a ballet performance of this monumental work. If you notice the orchestra takes up the whole entire stage and in order to perform this in ballet form, you would need a huge huge pit. But about Boulez's interpretation.. it is great. The tempos are just right. The tempos are not too slow or too fast. Considering the fact that he himself was a friend of Stravinsky's and was counselled by him in this work he does this work well. The orchestra is great and performs the work wonderfully. All in all a very good dvd."