No one could complain that Yuri Simonov’s Stravinsky lacks character. The Firebird’s Introduction – served here in the context of an extended 1945 ‘Suite from the ballet’ – is both finely tensed and keenly pointed, the Prelude and Dance full of imaginative phrase shaping, and Kastchei’s “Infernal Dance”, measured tempo-wise, but elementally energetic. The recording captures a wide range of dynamics, from the unearthly shimmer that opens the “Final Hymn” (the delicate harp glissando at 0'34'' draws aside like a lace veil) to the thunderous percussion that closes it.
Stravinsky’s reduced orchestration reproduces with impressive clarity (there’s plenty of piano earlier on in the Suite), whereas the opening sections of Parts 1 and 2 of The Rite of Spring parade a plethora of sinuous, post-Debussian textures. I have rarely heard either passage sound so atmospheric (distant brass loiter malevolently during the Introduction to “The Sacrifice”), but neither have I heard many CD Rites that offer bolder reportage of the ‘big’ moments – the timpani and brass in the “Ritual of the Rival Tribes”, for example, or the fire-breathing tam-tam in the “Procession of the Sage”. By contrast, the “Mystic Circles of the Young Girls” in Part 2 is unusually tender and the Russian muse that frequently visits both parts – Scriabin grown brutal, with Shostakovich waiting in the wings – is always audible. Minor quibbles include the occasional imprecision and a quiet though mildly distracting noise (a bit like air-conditioning) that sets in just before the two Introductions start. In other respects, however, the recordings have plenty of bloom (big drums come off particularly well) and I cannot imagine anyone who wants this particular coupling being disappointed. The only bargain-price Rite to compare with Simonov’s is Dorati’s Detroit recording on Decca, a rather quicker, more incisive affair coupled with a fine complete Firebird. However, I would still recommend Simonov, even to those who already own good versions of either work, but who fancy experiencing a different – and often revealing – interpretative perspective.'