IGOR STRAVINSKY:

PULCINELLA

with Roxana Constantinescu & Kyle Ketelsen

Chicago Symphony Orchestra

Pierre Boulez, conductor

CSO Resound

2010 GRAMMY AWARD NOMINEE:

BEST ORCHESTRAL PERFORMANCE

ABOUT THE ALBUM

“The live performance is with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, released on CSO Resound, the orchestra's own label. The disc also includes Stravinsky's complete Pulcinella, not just the abbreviated Suite, which leaves out the charming, sexy songs. Stravinsky composed this scintillating commedia dell'arte ballet for Diaghilev's Ballets Russes. 

Stravinsky himself regarded Pulcinella as his first neo-classical work, both his discovery of the past, and his transformation of it. He boldly borrowed themes he thought were all by the 18th-century Italian composer Pergolesi, though it turned out some of them were actually by a number of other minor composers. But even though the tunes themselves aren't by Stravinsky, his syncopated rhythms and dazzling, even hilarious combinations of instruments make Pulcinella one of his most original, most modern, most 'Stravinskyan' scores. And in the hands of Boulez and the Chicago Symphony, one of his most sparkling.” –NPR

CRITICAL ACCLAIM

DETROIT FREE PRESS

"…the Stravinsky disc bursts with coiled energy and vibrant color…The reading of the complete score includes the rarely heard songs, sung stylishly by Roxana Constantinescu, Nicholas Phan and Kyle Ketelsen."

MUSICWEB INTERNATIONAL

“At the core of this recording is the full score of Pulcinella, a work heard too often as a symphonic suite without the vocal movements. The complete sung ballet is present here, and it is an outstanding interpretation of the piece, which benefits from the balanced textures and carefully voiced sonorities found in the score. The second movement is attractive for the effective oboe playing of Eugene Izotov and the thoughtful phrasing of tenor Nicholas Phan. Soprano Roxana Constantinescu is similarly impressive in her aria "Contento forse", which evokes the eighteenth-century style of Stravinsky's source within its modern context. The third vocalist in this work, baritone Kyle Ketelsen is solid throughout, especially the first piece, "Conquesto paroline", in which his even range and consistent articulation allow the text to sound clearly through his dramatic reading of the aria. The trio which follows shows the fine ensemble that sets this particular recording apart from others.”