Psychiatrist Jung once remarked that half of his French patients were Roman Catholics and half of Cartesians. With composer and conductor Pierre Boulez, some titles of his compositions remind us of the Roman Catholic liturgy, but for the rest he is the example of typically French clarity and precision. Sometimes his performances suffer from hypothermia, but if it is beautiful then it is also very
… beautiful. This is the case with this CD with a number of enchanting musical fairytales for the large symphony orchestra of the young Stravinsky. Works such as the Scherzo Fantastique, the cantata Le Roi Des Étoiles and the symphonic poem Le Chant Du Rossignol demonstrate that Stravinsky's orchestral color palette was no less rich and subtle than that of his Parisian colleague Ravel. Less exuberant in character is the suite from L'Histoire du Soldat, which owes its austerity in part to the circumstances during the First World War. The orchestra in these performances are The Cleveland Orchestra & Chorus. (HJ)more
