Robert Craft - Stravinsky: Oedipus Rex; Les Noces (2004)

This Naxos disc is a coupling of two recordings originally issued by Koch. Both the recordings were part of Robert Craft's continuation of the complete Stravinsky edition he had begun on MusicMasters. Craft's second Oedipus Rex is less than entirely compelling. Martyn Hill is a virile Oedipus and Jennifer Lane is a noble Jocasta, but Craft is a bit too restrained in his rhetoric and a tad too reserved in his dramatics. Craft's fourth Les Noces is less than exciting. The vocalists are lusty, the pianists are potent, and the percussionists are precise, but Craft is less than commanding and the performance lacks point and thrust. Naxos' sound sounds just like Koch's sound: crisp, clean, and direct.

For an overwhelmingly dramatic Oedipus Rex, try Esa-Pekka Salonen's recording with the Swedish Radio Symphony and Anne-Sofie von Otter. For an unbearably exciting Les Noces, try Stravinsky's recording with Samuel Barber, Aaron Copland, Lukas Foss, and Roger Sessions as the pianists. -- James Leonard