Stravinsky The Fire Bird - Ansermet - L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Ernest Ansermet’s recording of The Firebird with L’Orchestre de la Suisse Romande stands as a vivid mid-century interpretation of Stravinsky’s landmark ballet score, combining sharp rhythmic precision with a distinctly elegant orchestral character. Ansermet, long admired for his close association with early 20th-century French and Russian repertoire, brings an unmistakable clarity to the work, balancing its glittering fantasy elements with its darker, more primitive undercurrents. His approach emphasizes clean articulation and structural control, allowing the score’s dramatic contrasts to unfold naturally without exaggeration, while still delivering the explosive energy that makes The Firebird such a thrilling orchestral showpiece.
Recorded in May 1955 at Victoria Hall in Geneva, the performance benefits greatly from the hall’s natural acoustic character, which lends warmth without obscuring detail. Victoria Hall provides a resonant yet controlled environment that complements Stravinsky’s intricate orchestration, particularly in the shimmering string textures and the colorful interplay of winds and brass.
Artist(s): Conductor – Ernest Ansermet
Orchestra – L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande
Recording Info: Producer: James Walker
Engineer: Roy Wallace
Recorded May 1955 at Victoria Hall, Geneva
Sourced from a 15ips tape
Components used for Transfer: Analog: Transport - Otari MX5050 modified with Flux Heads
Preamp - Custom Tape Pre-amp designed by Victor Khomenko of Balanced Audio Technology
Digital: Merging Hapi Analog to Digital Converter clocked by an Antelope Audio 10MX Atomic Clock
Software: Merging Pyramix v15
Power Conditioning: Shunyata Research Everest 8000 for all components with Shunyata Sigma-X Power Cords.
All components are grounded to Shunyata ALTAIRA Hubs
1 Introduction 2:33
2 Kashchei's Enchanted Garden 1:38
3 Appearance of the Firebird Pursued by Ivan Tsarevich 2:18
4 Dance of the Firebird 1:28
5 Ivan Tsarevich Captures the Firebird 0:56
6 Supplication of the Firebird 7:28
7 Game of the Princesses with the Golden Apples 2:30
8 Sudden Appearance of Ivan Tsarevich 1:17
9 Round Dance of the Princesses (Khorovod) 3:48
10 Daybreak 1:29
11 Magic Carillon, Appearance of Kashchei's Guardian Monsters 5:07
12 Dance of Kashchei's Retinue under the Firebird's Spell 0:51
13 Infernal Dance of All Kashchei's Subjects 4:48
14 Lullaby (Berceuse) of the Firebird 4:57
15 Collapse of Kashchei's Palace / Final Hymn 3:11
Please Note: This release was edited in DXD PCM from a DSD256 Master
then the DXD edited master was used to generate the final DSD files using
Merging Technologies Album Publishing.
DXD (352.8KHz 24/32 bit PCM) is one of the best and least destructive formats for post-processing DSD originated digital recordings
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