IGOR STRAVINSKY (1882-1971)
Ragtime
Chamber Works

BBC Music Magazine:
"The earliest piece on this disc is the delightful Pastorale, written in 1907, when Stravinsky was 25; the latest is the enigmatic Epitaphium, written 52 years later. In between come a clutch of pieces from that fascinating period of Stravinsky’s life when he was moving from Russianism to neo-classicism via jazz. The remaining two, the Octet of 1923 and the Septet of 1953, are both firmly in Stravinsky’s witty, poised neo-classical style, though the Septet is moving towards new, tougher territory.
Stravinsky himself made classic recordings of these pieces in the Sixties, now reissued on CD on the Sony label. These are always electric, if sometimes a little untidy, and so closely recorded you feel the players are sitting in your lap. By that lofty benchmark this new recording measures up superbly. Tempos are just as brisk and alert as Stravinsky’s, the accents just as incisive. These qualities are combined with a beautiful soft-grained tone – a nice change from Stravinsky’s lemon-sharp sound. The Septet in particular came up very fresh: in the composer’s version the middle movement felt gruff and crabbed; here it has a mysterious grave quality, as of a procession seen through a veil. A wonderful disc." --Ivan Hewett

01. Ragtime for 11 players
Octet for wind instruments
02. I.	Sinfonia
03. II. Tema con variazioni
04. III. Finale
3 Pieces for clarinet solo
05. I. Sempre piano e molto tranquillo - Quarter note = 52
06. II. Eighth note = 168
07. III. Eighth note = 160
The Soldier's Tale
Suite for violin, clarinet & piano
08. I. The soldier's march
09. II. The soldier's violin
10. III. Little concert
11. IV. Tango - Waltz - Ragtime
12. V. The devil's dance
13. Pastorale for 5 instruments
14. Concertino for 12 instruments
Septet
15. I. Quarter note = 88
16. II. Passacaglia
17. III. Gigue
18. Epitaphium für das Grabmal des Prinzen Max Egon zu Fürstenberg
Total timing 59.00

European Soloists Ensemble
Vladimir Ashkenazy, piano & director

Recording locations: Henry Wood Hall, London, 10-12 December 1994; Walthamstow Assembly Hall, 7 September 1994 (3 Pieces for clarinet, Epitaphium)
Producer: Andrew Cornall
Recording engineers: Simon Eadon/John Pellowe; Krzysztof Jarosz
Recording editors: Deborah Gilbert/Jenni Whiteside
© 1996 The Decca Record Company Limited, London
DECCA 448 177-2