L’oiseau-Lyre, Stravinsky

It’s been a crazy few months, and as a result, I haven’t carved out enough listening time for myself. It’s a shame—especially since I have more than a few records in my collection that remain unplayed. Fortunately, summer brings a slower pace, and I was able to dig into a few albums this week.

One standout was a L’Oiseau-Lyre LP featuring the English Chamber Orchestra and Colin Davis performing some of Stravinsky’s better-known neoclassical chamber works (SOL 60050).

I never shy away from collecting L’Oiseau-Lyre records. Originally a French music publishing company founded between the wars, their recordings were produced by Decca. In 1970, Decca acquired the company outright, along with its catalog of mostly Baroque and chamber music. Like other Decca sub-labels—Argo and Ace of Hearts come to mind—L’Oiseau-Lyre records feature that signature Decca sound: rich detail and a wide soundstage.

This performance perfectly captures the neoclassical charm of Stravinsky’s later works. The parts sound incredibly fun to play, especially in Danses Concertantes. It’s a bummer that the tuba features so infrequently during this period of Stravinsky’s output. Then again, I’m not sure how well the tuba’s timbre would really fit into his neoclassical sound world.

I think I’ll dig out some other Decca sub-labels soon. I have a few Argo LPs with Phillip Jones Brass that could use a spin.