Stravinsky

Stravinsky
Pétrouchka, The Rite of Spring (for piano duet)
Fiametta Tarli, Ivo Varbanov p
ICSM RECORDS ICSM006

The liner note to this disc says: “With the exception of The Rite of Spring, these ballet scores contain a significant part for the piano.” In other words, Pétrouchka does. These four-hand piano reductions of Stravinsky’s early ballets were once the only way of hearing them. However, for over 60 years we’ve had orchestral recordings, including those conducted by the composer, Bernstein, Ansermet, and Boulez. Stravinsky arranged these, but are they necessary today? Ideally, they enable you to hear the harmonic workings of the music in sharper detail,...