Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos leads the
London Symphony Orchestra in these solid performances of
Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre du printemps and Petrushka, which date from 1989 and were released originally on Collins Classics; this Alto reissue appears in a fresh remastering. The renditions offer no startling surprises and follow expected tempos and accepted style, so listeners who want faithful versions without any controversial features will be happy to have this disc. However, it bears mentioning that these mainstream interpretations are worthwhile for the precision of the playing, the beauty of the expressions and colors, and the impressiveness of the
LSO's sound, so for all their dependability and straightforwardness, the performances deliver what most listeners would require. The dynamic range is quite wide, so there's a lot of room for subtlety in the textures, as well as for dramatic climaxes at tremendous volume. Petrushka certainly benefits from the high-quality audio, but the most wonderful sonorities are found in Le Sacre, where the percussion rises to the occasion. So for reliable readings that sound marvelous, this album is a good choice for someone approaching
Stravinsky for the first time, or for adding to a growing CD collection.