The dreaded box. When I catalogued this record back in 2012, I decided to put it all under one title, because that is how it was published. And then when I started this project, I was realising that if I wanted to write one title per day, this one would be a bit of an issue. These are 31 records, there are just not enough hours in one day.
I do listen to every record before writing about them. I’ve done so thus far, and I will keep doing that. So I can ask the help of a time machine, make an exception, or just prepare a lot in advance. Since the first is out of my reach, the second unwanted, I am left with the third option. I did what I could to listen to records way in advance. Still in the right order, not skipping one.
And then life happened. A short break for a vacation came in between, during which I wasn’t able to listen. Record players are not easy travel partners after all. So my comfortable advance of twenty titles shrank to a mere ten. I had ten days to listen through this gargantuan box.
I expected this box is worth quite something on the market. It is quite unique: a collection of all recorded works composed by Stravinsky, performed by the man himself. I suppose all of these must be seen as reference performances, straight from the horses mouth, excusez my French. So with eager anticipation I checked Discogs, and found it was only 11 euro! For that money I could buy a replacement, because actually this copy is missing one album: I am denied the recording of Persephone. Then I checked better, and found the cause of the low price: somebody offered just one album out of the box! Alas, not the one I am missing.
When I was still buying CDs, every now and then I bought boxes like this. I have a box of all the works of Dvořák for instance. A problem with these is that they’re really not that good. Performances are a bit less than what you would want. And second: who listens to all of the string quartets in a row? The famous ones are worth listening to, but there is so much chaff. It feels like listening to fillers for hours on end.
So how is that here? In all honesty, I think even with the composer himself doing the conducting, it is not guaranteed to be the optimum performance. Sometimes somebody else can shine a new and better light on a work. Also, no matter how good he knows the work, a composer is not a conductor. The conductor knows the orchestra and knows how to lead them. Musicians might be better motivated that way.
Having said that, I think that about 80% of this box is still outstanding. Included are also some very interesting interviews and rehearsals. Each album contains detailed liner notes, sometimes by the composer himself. It is definitely worth the time to listen to. It has made me realise there is more to this Stravinsky guy after all.
And did I make it after all? Yes, I can happily say I did. Mission complete.
