This CD brings together what it calls “later ballets”, though one must probably exclude the Capriccio for Piano and Orchestra as its origins are from 1929, and used in the Balanchine ballet Jewels (the “rubies” section). The others start from wartime, Stravinsky himself having to tolerate no little criticism for his “happy spirits” in the first American-formed composition, Danses concertantes. This piece took form at his then to be longtime residence in California, and despite the ravages of the occupation of France and the British bombings, a man who had spent six months in a sanatorium, and suffered through three deaths (wife, eldest daughter, and mother) can certainly be excused for wanting a little relief to the stress. So in 1941-42 he did exactly that, and created one of his most sparkling works, played to aesthetic perfection by the Twentieth Century Classic Ensemble, a group of Craft’s own formation.

Jeu de cartes, a luscious tonal sensation, and subtitled a “Ballet in Three Deals for Orchestra”, was a 1935 commission by Balanchine focusing on the unlikely dealings of a four-card suit and their trouble with the evil spirit, the Joker. There is no slow music here, and the action is fast and furious, with minimal dissonance and maximum entertainment, remaining one of his most approachable scores. Scenes de Ballet, also a very popular score, was designated for Broadway, the 1944 spectacle The Seven Lively Arts. It was completed on the day of the liberation of Paris from the Germans, but even that fact wasn’t enough to persuade the pit orchestra to have a better go at the tricky five-bar beats, and the work was severely cut, finally taken up by Frederick Ashton and the Royal Ballet, in whose repertory it remains to this day.

The Variations is the one piece on the disc that is quite dissimilar in tone. Stravinsky never wrote a more dense or complex piece of music, though when you hear it, it is remarkably clear. It is a twelve-tone series with three twelve-part variations internal to it. The instrumentation changes radically for each variation, and despite the complexity one comes away more with an impression of color and texture than serial considerations. Sometimes called the “Huxley Variations” (it was dedicated posthumously to the composer’s great friend Aldous Huxley), the piece is an important one in Stravinsky’s subsequent foray into serialism, a form he gave his own inimitable stamp.

The sound is very good on this release, perhaps a bit better on the MusicMasters transfers, but never less that excellent. Just glancing at the orchestras on this disc should be enough to convince you that the performances are played with superior spirit and accuracy. Robert Craft was wise in giving these works his second wind, and this release is mandatory for any Stravinsky collection worth its salt.

Jeu de cartes arose from a Balanchine commission. The idea of basing a ballet on a card game apparently came to Stravinsky while on his way to a dinner engagement in Paris. Stravinsky and Balanchine saw the dancers as “cards” in a game of poker, manipulated by a malicious joker. The parallels with the rise of European fascism are all too clear. This idea allowed for ingenious choreography but, to Stravinsky’s approval, eliminated the need for romantic elements in the music. Interesting to remember that Bliss’s Checkmate, also using the formalities of a game to reflect the current totalitarian threat, appeared at very much the same time. Craft’s performance seems to lack something of the rhythmic energy which the piece demands, or perhaps the rather weighty orchestral sound and expansive acoustic on this recording militate against an ideal clarity of articulation.

The conductor Werner Janssen commissioned  Danses concertantes for his Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra early in 1941. Although intended as a concert piece, Stravinsky cast the work in balletic forms and it was performed onstage in 1944 choreographed by Balanchine. Craft’s performance, with smaller forces than those used in Jeu de Cartes, is rhythmically alert and skilfully differentiates between concertante and tutti passages.

Billy Rose, the impresario, commissioned Scènes de Ballet from Stravinsky in 1944 for a forthcoming Broadway revue. Alicia Markova and Anton Dolin were to dance leading roles in the piece. Billy Rose was generally happy with Stravinsky’s music although he had some reservations regarding the orchestration, going as far as to suggest to Stravinsky that he enlist the help of Robert Russell Bennett to “retouch” the score - a suggestion which, unsurprisingly, the composer rejected. With chamber forces Craft conducts a suitably pointed, lucid performance, although not underplaying the big, sentimental tune in the central Pas de Deux.

The late 12-note Variations were first performed in 1965, by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra with Robert Craft conducting. Craft of course recorded this piece in the 1960s for Columbia (still available as part of the 22CD Stravinsky edition) but this LPO version benefits from more modern sound and technically superior playing. It’s an epigrammatic sort of a piece, Webernesque in its concentration, and highlighting the variations of the original series through changes in instrumentation.

The detailed programme notes provided by Robert Craft almost take longer to read than a performance of the work itself; those with an analytical bent will find them invaluable.

Stravinsky’s Capriccio rounds off the disc in ebullient style and is brilliantly played by Mark Wait. This music, also originally for concert performance, later became one of Balanchine’s most popular ballets, Rubies.

Overall it’s good to have these performances back in the catalogue, especially at bargain price. Craft is in most cases excellent at projecting the rhythmic vitality of the music and his programme notes are equally persuasive.