IGOR STRAVINSKY: COLLECTED WORKS VOLUME IV Philharmonia Orchestra Robert Craft Koch International 3-7472-2 HI Full Price

During the 1960s, a project to record the complete works of Stravinsky was launched under the direction of the composer, the results of which have, in recent years, been reissued on CD by Sony. Although they are invaluable documents of which a few pieces can, according to Robert Craft 'hardly be bettered', a number are unsatisfactory as performances (for example the chorus and orchestra in one section of A Sermon, A Narrative and A Prayer are beats apart). Such errors were the result of far from ideal circumstances, not least Stravinsky's ill health. Consequently, Craft set up his own complete Stravinsky project on the MusicMasters label with the New York-based Orchestra of St. Luke's, which was finished in 1995. The present series of Stravinsky's works on the Koch label, also under the direction of Craft, therefore comes somewhat as a surprise, considering the conductor's recent ten-volume collection. Craft's long friendship with Stravinsky, however, and his intimate knowledge of the composer's music certainly warrants the recordings (which thus far have included amongst others The Rite of Spring, Apollon Musagète, Orpheus, Le Baiser de le Fée, Pulcinella and the Piano Concerto); certainly, the musical results support this.

Of the three items on the disc, the most well known is Firebird. Originally composed as a ballet score in 1909, a suite arrangement by Stravinsky followed; the one recorded here, however, is the final version of the suite completed in 1945. (Brief information concerning the earlier readings of the suite are provided in the sleeve notes.) In addition to an excellent technical performance, the Philharmonia play with fine articulation and precision, together with a polish not always present on other recordings, which often favour a more direct, raw-sounding ensemble. Particularly noteworthy is the clarity and quality of the woodwind section in Symphony of Three Movements and Jeu de Cartes. General praise is also in order for the carefully balanced and well recorded sound of the disc as a whole.

Although the Symphony in Three Movements was composed around the same time as the 1945 completion of the Firebird Suite, the work is over 30 years ahead of its time in terms of compositional material, illustrating many of Stravinsky's mature stylistic qualities; dynamic rhythmic motifs, a deep understanding of orchestral sonorities and a distinctive harmonic language are all evident.

The remaining work, Jeu de Cartes, a 'Ballet in Three Deals', is based on a game of poker. Evidently Stravinsky had a love of chess and card games, so for him it seemed a natural subject on which to base music for a ballet. First performed in 1937, it was choreographed by Balanchine and conducted by the composer. In subject matter it is similar in its general theme to Firebird: 'the evil spirit seeks to dominate and must be conquered: the group of hearts eventually triumphs over the joker.' In contrast to the earlier style of Firebird and the more dissonant harmonic language of Symphony in Three Movements, Jeu de Cartes is firmly rooted in tonal harmony as well as being structurally more straightforward. Characteristic of all three works, but most pronounced here, are the extensive technical demands made of virtually all the instrumentalists. Indeed, Craft has referred to Jeu de Cartes as 'a showpiece of instrumental virtuosity.' The playing is formidable throughout, producing a thoroughly exciting performance. It is this kind of assured playing that often lifts this disc above any earlier recording.

This is a highly recommendable disc and provides an ideal introduction to the programme-based orchestral works (the Symphony in Three Movements is an admittedly 'programmatic' concert work) as well as illustrating a range of Stravinsky's compositional styles. Furthermore, due to the unique place which Robert Craft holds in relation to the interpretation of Stravinsky's works, together with an excellent performance from the Philharmonia Orchestra and the advantages of up-to-date recording techniques, the disc is an important addition to the existing body of recordings. This is particularly so in the light of the often-quoted statement made by Stravinsky about the conductor: 'Robert Craft is the best conductor of my works, the old ones, the new ones, and even those not yet written.'

Matthew Nisbett