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Title: Useful if mistitled collection
Review: The reason I give this a four-star rather than five-star rating is that it uses the inferior trio version of L'Histoire du Soldat, rather than than the more familiar and certainly more interesting version for high and low instruments of various timbres. There are indeed some rarities on these two disks, but most of the pieces would be familiar to anyone who knew Stravinsky's work well. The first disk has a variety of works for small ensemble, conducted by Vladimir Askanazy, the best of which is the "Septet." I found the performances on the second disk more effective (mostly by Charles Detoit, but one each by Chailly and Ansermet), although some of the pieces are quite familiar. I purchased this disk because I had most of the music on vinyl, now inaccessible to me. This would be a valuable addition for anyone who likes the larger works of Stravinsky but does not know these.
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