Stravinsky: Pulcinella with Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra, now in the Original Source Series
Some recordings hold their place as a reference for decades, and Claudio Abbado’s account of Igor Stravinsky’s Pulcinella is unquestionably one of them. Together with the London Symphony Orchestra and the vocal soloists Teresa Berganza, Ryland Davies and John Shirley-Quirk, Abbado set down an interpretation in 1978 that unites wit, rhythmic precision and tonal transparency into a strikingly vivid reading of this neoclassical ballet. On 13 November 2026 the recording joins Deutsche Grammophon’s Original Source series, the Yellow Label’s audiophile vinyl edition.
For collectors and curious newcomers alike, this is a rare opportunity: a catalogue classic returns, cut directly from the original analogue tape and pressed on 180g virgin vinyl. Anyone who has known Pulcinella only from digital sources will discover a sound of remarkable openness here, one that makes the score’s chamber-music delicacy as audible as its playful energy.
A key work of modernism: Stravinsky’s Pulcinella
Pulcinella marks one of the most consequential turning points in Igor Stravinsky’s output. The ballet was first performed on 15 May 1920 at the Paris Opéra, danced by the Ballets Russes under the aegis of Sergei Diaghilev, with choreography by Léonide Massine and designs by Pablo Picasso. Ernest Ansermet conducted. With this work Stravinsky took the step into neoclassicism, the aesthetic stance that would shape much of his subsequent oeuvre.
What makes the score special is its source material: Stravinsky drew on early eighteenth-century compositions long attributed to Giovanni Battista Pergolesi. Later scholarship has shown that a substantial portion of these models came from other composers of the period. Stravinsky shaped them into something entirely his own, threading Baroque melody through with unmistakably modern harmonies, rhythms and instrumentation.
The result is a ballet in twenty-one sections, with arias for soprano, tenor and bass, in which voice and orchestra merge into a whole that is at once light-hearted and refined. These vocal passages set the complete ballet score clearly apart from the purely orchestral suite that later became more widely known, and they bring the work’s theatrical origins to the fore.
Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra
The partnership between Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra is among the most fruitful chapters in the discography of both. The 1970s produced a whole series of Stravinsky recordings that remain benchmarks to this day. Abbado’s Pulcinella was recorded in March and May 1978 at Henry Wood Hall in London and first appeared on record in 1979. This reading is characterised by clear articulation, a precise and never overstated command of the intricate rhythms, and the fine interplay between orchestra and the three vocal soloists.
Teresa Berganza, Ryland Davies and John Shirley-Quirk lend the vocal numbers warmth and personality without departing from the score’s chamber-music character. Within the Original Source series, this release takes its place in Abbado’s celebrated Stravinsky cycle with the LSO, which already includes Le Sacre du printemps and Petrushka in audiophile vinyl editions. Listeners who value this world will find Pulcinella a welcome addition.
Original Source: pure analogue sound
The Original Source series, launched in 2023 to mark the label’s 125th anniversary, pursues a single consistent aim: to bring legendary 1970s recordings to vinyl as faithfully as possible. At the Emil Berliner Studios in Berlin, the original multitrack tapes are used and then remixed and cut in a fully analogue process, with no detour via tape copies and no digital intermediate steps. A passive mixing console was developed specially for the task, one that adds no further noise to the signal.
The audible result is greater clarity, finer detail and a more natural dynamic range, from the most delicate pianissimo to the powerful tutti passages. Each edition appears on 180g virgin vinyl, produced at Optimal, as a limited and numbered deluxe edition in a fold-out gatefold sleeve. The cover art and accompanying texts follow the original, supplemented by additional photographs and facsimiles of the recording documentation. For audiophile classical music lovers, this is a format that places the deliberate, focused listening experience at its heart.
Format and availability: now on vinyl
Stravinsky: Pulcinella with Claudio Abbado and the London Symphony Orchestra is released on 13 November 2026 as an Original Source vinyl in the official DG Store. As a limited, numbered edition, it is especially suited to collectors who value the highest sound quality and premium presentation. Pre-ordering is recommended for anyone interested, since editions in this series have a track record of selling out quickly.
Order and enjoy Claudio Abbado’s Original Source Vinyl now!
Secure Stravinsky’s Pulcinella in the audiophile Original Source edition and experience a milestone of modernism in pure analogue sound. Order now from the DG Store and delve deeper into the Original Source vinyl collection!
