Stravinsky Ballets

Sir Simon Rattle has always been a great Stravinsky conductor and these live performances—recorded at London’s Barbican Centre in 2017, early in Rattle’s London Symphony Orchestra reign—show him at his finest. These three ballets not only established, but also resoundingly confirmed, Stravinsky’s reputation as one of the 20th century’s most visionary composers. *The Firebird* sparkles and seethes with life, *Petrushka* gives a glimpse of tragedy under the surface charm, and *The Rite of Spring* unleashes extraordinary power. Everything is done magnificently. The LSO’s winds and brass are in top form, while the strings have a leanness and, where needed, silkiness that is breathtaking.