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Beethoven: Piano Sonatas Nos. 8-11
Ronald Brautigam, fortepiano (BIS) (SACD)
Sonics are quite good, but let down by the recording venue being too reverberant (I wasn't surprised to find out in the liner notes that the recording was made in a church). It takes getting used to hearing a fortepiano performed in such a space. Because of this, people who typically stay away from fortepiano recordings will be less offended than normal. The extra reverberance makes the fp sound larger than it really is, artificially increasing its reverberation rate. Performances are excellent; I look forward to the rest of the cycle.
Stravinsky: Firebird ballet, orchestral works, Song of the Nightingale
Dorati/London Symphony Orchestra (Mercury) (SACD)
Very impressive. Despite all the hoopla over this disc, I'm going to risk any credibility I have and say that the a sonically more impressive SACD is the Copland Dance Suites disc conducted by Bernstein on Sony (yes, the Columbia engineers did do something right). It's been a while since I've listened to the full firebird ballet; I definitely prefer the 1919 suite. Stravinsky's later orchestral touch ups make this sound like a rough draft. Thankfully Szell's brilliant account is available on SACD. The filler is quite interesting and good. Fireworks is an important piece in the composer's career; upon hearing it Diaghilev hired him to compose for Ballet Russe. The Tango and Scherzo are a reminder of how diverse a composer Stravinsky was -- he wasn't just the early ballets and 12 tone.
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