Overview

Why This Recording Matters

PHCD 101 launched the Phoenix USA Recordings catalog with a clear artistic mission: to preserve, clarify, and champion repertoire that too often slips through the cracks of mainstream classical programming. This inaugural release set the template for everything that followed — meticulous scholarship, uncompromising musicianship, and a commitment to presenting music with both emotional immediacy and structural transparency.

What makes this recording stand out is its balance of authenticity and modern polish. The performers approach the score with stylistic insight, but without academic stiffness; the engineering captures detail without sacrificing warmth; and the interpretation reveals the work’s architecture while still allowing it to breathe. For many listeners, this becomes the performance that finally “unlocks” the piece — the one where everything clicks.

Most importantly, PHCD 101 embodies the Phoenix ethos: recordings that illuminate, not merely document. It’s a model of how thoughtful performance and careful production can bring overlooked or under‑recorded repertoire into sharp, compelling focus.

1.Sebastian: A Venetian Square – Barcarolle – Street Brawl – Cortege And Procession – Sebastian’s Dance 16:39

2 Sebastian: Theft of the Veil – Sisters’ Dance of Vengeance – Incantation & Vigil – Piercing of the Wax Image – Dance of the Wounded Courtesan – Substitution – Piercing of the Living Body – Death of Sebastian 20:12

3 Legend 10:56

Gian‑Carlo Menotti’s Sebastian (Complete Ballet) was first choreographed and presented in 1944 by Ballet International, followed by a 1946 revival by the Original Ballet Russe. The work later appeared in three major reinterpretations: Agnes de Mille’s 1957 staging for the American Ballet Theatre Workshop, John Butler’s 1963 production for Nederlands Dans Theater, and Butler’s further refinement for the Harkness Ballet in 1966. When the score premiered in New York, critic Mark Schubart praised its “attractive melodies,” “elaborate percussion effects,” and “carefully balanced, effective sonorities.” PHCD 101 preserves this atmospheric ballet in a compelling performance restored with Phoenix USA’s archival precision.

Composer: Gian‑Carlo Menotti
Additional Music: Otto Luening
Conductor: José Serebrier
Catalog Number: PHCD 101

This Phoenix USA edition is sourced from archival materials and restored to highlight the ballet’s full orchestral color.