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| Stravinsky: The Soldier's Tale | 
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| Creators: Igor Stravinsky, Robert Craft, Columbia Chamber Ensemble, Columbia Symphony Winds & Brass
Label: Sony Classics
Category: Music
List Price: $18.97
Buy New: $12.25
You Save: $6.72 (35%)
Buy New/Used from $10.00
Avg. Customer Rating:  (2 reviews)
Sales Rank: 107023
Media: Audio CD
Discs: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 5.6 x 5 x 0.5
MPN: 76586
UPC: 828767658629
EAN: 0828767658629
ASIN: B000GKH26E
Release Date: May 29, 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Tracks:
| • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Part 1. Introduction. The Soldier's March (Marche du Soldat | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Music for Scene One (Airs by a Stream) (Music de la Premiere Scene. Petits airs au bord du ruisseau | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); The Soldier's March (Marche du Soldat) (reprise) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Music for Scene Two (Pastorale) (Musique de la Deuxieme Scene. Pastorale) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Airs by a Stream (Petits airs au bord du ruisseau) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Music for Scene Three (Airs by a Stream) (Music de la Troisieme Scene. Petits airs au bord du ruisseau) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Part 2. The Soldier's March (Marche du Soldat) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); The Royal March (Marche Royale) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); The Little Concert (Petit Concert) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Three Dances (Trois Danses) 1. Tango | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); 2. Valse | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); 3. Ragtime | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); The Devil's Dance (Danse du Diable) (Album Version) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Little Chorale (Petit Choral) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); The Devil's Song (Couplets du Diable) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Great Choral (Grand Choral) | | • | The Soldier's Tale (Histoire du Soldat); Triumphal March of the Devil (Marche Triomphale du Diable) | | • | Symphonies of Wind Instruments (rev. version 1947) |
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| Editorial Reviews:
Album Description
A New Recording of Stravinsky by Stravinsky! Masterworks' long and storied relationship with composer and conductor Igor Stravinsky has an exciting new chapter. Throughout the 1960's, Stravinsky re-recorded all of his works in stunning stereo productions for Columbia Masterworks. In 1967, he recorded the interludes and underscoring of The Soldier's Tale, to complete his 1961 recording of the suite. The masters were never released, and the components of the completed version lay forgotten in the vaults. Now, 40 years later, and in time for Stravinsky's 125th birthday, one of the greatest compositions of the 20th century is available as it should be heard, for the very first time. Edited by GrammyA Award winning producers Steven Epstein and Simon Rhodes and GrammyA Award winning engineer Richard King, this definitive CD features a delicious new narration by AcademyA Award winning actor, Jeremy Irons. The extensive liner notes include a new essay by renowned Stravinsky scholar, Richard Taruskin, new interviews with the 1961 and 1967 session musicians and producer and Executive Producer Warren Wernick's account of how the final "new" recording was realized.
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| Customer Reviews:
 A little less than meets the eye August 19, 2007
6 out of 8 found this review helpful
Sony's "undiscovered" Stravinsky isn't sizable. It consists of four minutes of music that was recorded in 1967 to fill out the composer's 1961 recording of the Suite from The Soldier's Tale. Although Stravinsky had his doubts about the current English version of Ramuz's whimsical fable, the new translation provided here is a clunker and lacks the charm of the original. Jeremy Irons is effective in a sober-sided way; his Devil is a raspy-voiced villain, far removed from the suave irony of Peter Ustinov's great portrayal for Markevitch on Philips. As for whether there should be three voices to comprise narrator, Devil, and soldier, it all depends on the taletnt of the performers -- Ustinov and Jean Cocteau are unforgettable for Markevitch, but the bigger cast led by Stokowski on Vanguard, with Darius Milhaud's widow as the narrator, is almost as entertaining.
As for the composer's interpretation, he was notably not a great conductor - at least we get to hear his pointed, dry, almost acerbic style, which nobody has adopted since then. The free-lance musicians form Los Angeles are excellent, more than compensating for the aged composer's fading podium skills, and the two fillers led by Robert Craft are good, if nothing special. In all, I think this release is more a collector's curiosity than an important addition to the Stravinsky discography.
 "New" Stravinsky June 3, 2007
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
After years of being lost in Sony's (formerly Columbia/CBS) vaults, Stravinsky's own version of The Soldier's Tale has finally been issued in complete form. The main body of the performance is from the already released Suite recorded in 1961, with bridge sections recorded in 1967. The spoken portion was recently recorded by actor Jeremy Irons.
Apparently, Stravinsky hesitated to commit the narrated version to disc because he was not satisfied with the English translation of the French text. The present version uses a new narration, but to my American English biased ears, the standard translation "works" better. While Irons has a pleasing voice, he is unable to delineate the three characters (the narrator, the soldier, and the devil) the way three separate actors can. For that reason, when recommending this piece to others, I will continue referring to the superb version featuring Ian McKellen, Sting, and Vanessa Redgrave. (ASIN: B000009HYG)
As a filler, Sony has offered Stravinsky's Symphonies of Wind Instruments in a fine performance conducted by the composer's assistant, Robert Craft.
The remastered sonics are excellent in every respect. It's hard to believe these recordings share provenance with the rather anemic sounding Stravinsky recordings issued in the 1960s.
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