Stravinsky Edition (4 CDs)

Simon Rattle has always been dedicated to the works of Stravinsky. In 2007, he and his Berlin Philharmonic gave workshops and a performance of Stravinsky's Rite of Spring to disadvantaged kids in Harlem for New York's Berlin in Lights Festival. His newest recording, Stravinsky: Symphonies, has received critical acclaim and a Grammy® nomination. This 4-CD box contains works from all parts of Stravinsky's musical output. At the center are six of his magnificent ballets: three major ones from his youth -- The Firebird (showing the inspired palette for exotic color learned from his teacher, Rimsky-Korsakov), Petrushka (in its revised version of 1947), and The Rite of Spring; two in his neo-classical style -- Apollo and Pulcinella; and extracts from Agon, which shows the influence of his studies of serial technique as expounded by Anton Webern. There are also a number of his works that were inspired by jazz.