Classical — All Formats  

A wonderful tribute to the 100th anniversary of Igor Stravinsky's Le Sacre Du Printemps – a set that features 10 different recordings of the classic composition – each packaged in a different vintage-styled sleeve! The set features two recordings conducted by Stravinsky himself – one in 1940 and one in 1960 – then features mini LP versions of other recordings, including one by Leopold Stokowski in 1929, one with Pierre Monteux in 1951, one by Eugene Ormandy in 1955, one by Seiji Ozawa in 1968, one by Pierre Boulez in 1969, one by Leonard Bernstein in 1972, one by Esa Pekka Salonen in 1989, and one by Michael Tilson Thomas in 1996.

Nothing cheap about this record – as it's one of the most beautiful John Cage recordings we've heard from the 70s – a set of solo piano work, played with a sensitivity that's really surprising! The music is extrapolated from Eric Satie's "Socrate", and inflected with chance operations from the I Ching – with a result that Cage refers to as a "cheap imitation" (hence the title) – but which comes off with a genius all its own. There's a quality to the piano that's almost tentative at times – which brings a great sense of warmth to the performance – and titles include "Band 1", "Band 2", and "Solid Band".