CCMusic.com

"The last great father-figure of Western music" was how Leonard Bernstein eulogized Igor Stravinsky in 1972 before his homage concert in London a year after the composer's death. Stravinsky's works, he asserted, "sum up and embrace all of music itself - from primitive folk art to highly sophisticated serialism, from rarefied church music to outspoken jazz." In fact, Bernstein performed surprisingly few selections from Stravinsky's vast output, recording most of those for Columbia Masterworks and RCA Victor, yet they include some of his most indelible interpretations. And he also delivered eloquent and revelatory lectures on the composer. Sony Classical is now pleased to collect these performances and talks in a new 8-album box set.