It is a bit odd that the program offered here by conductor
Gustavo Gimeno
and the
Luxembourg Philharmonic Orchestra
hasn't been done more often. The musicians present
Stravinsky
's first ballet,
L'oiseau de feu, Op. 4
("
The Firebird
"), together with
Apollon musagete
, from 1927, the last one he wrote for the impresario
Serge Diaghilev
. The two ballets could hardly be more different, and they show how the world changed in the first three decades of the 20th century. Yet both are recognizably products of
's mind.
Gimeno
's performance makes this unusually clear, with a detailed, rather restrained
Firebird
in which the wind and brass sections of the orchestra are at their best. The reading of the neo-classic
, which is for a string orchestra, is elegant and smooth, quite in line with
's concept of the work as a monochrome "ballet blanc" with white-clad dancers. This is not one of the most popular
ballets, but when a conductor catches the transcendent quality of the work, as
does here (sample the Pas de deux toward the end), it is marvelous. Part of the unusually compelling quality here comes from the pristine sound recorded at the Grand Auditorium of the Philharmonie in Luxembourg. This is a standout performance on a
album that is compelling throughout. ~ James Manheim