Stravinsky The Rite of Spring and The Firebird Suite - Monteux PCO

The first word on two modern touchstones in brilliant sound

The first word on these. Monteux did conduct the premiers of both of these and his total authority shows in these vivid transfers.

Actually shocking

This was the first Rite I ever heard, around 1960. Even in mono (we hadn’t switched to stereo as yet) I thought it was deliciously thrilling. And this Monteux version really wasn’t supplanted by the roughly contemporaneous Bernstein NYPO recording. The previous HDTT release of this music was great, but THIS release is an entirely new and ear-opening experience. The high end is now crystal clear and overall the transient response seems much faster, making the sound picture much more involving. I can now hear (occasionally) a musician move in his/her chair, and in places sound reflected from the room’s walls is evident. I suppose what is really amazing is how much information actually resides in the original tapes—from nearly 60 years ago. There is some overloading apparent when some of the full climaxes are reached, but this in no way detracts from the visceral impact of this performance. In the past some reviewers have described the Paris Conservatoire Orchestra’s performance as a bit ragged, but I don’t hear that. This is a marvelously conceived performance fully observant of the score’s dynamics. This release is a VERY pleasant surprise, as were the recent Ansermet Scheherazade and Ormandy Shostakovich Cello Concerto 1 releases.

Outstanding & Recommended!

Amongst the very best interpretation & absolutely stunning in DSD format! Strongly recommended!