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Home > Classical Music > Ballets & Dances > Ballets (page 3) > Pytor Illych Tchaikovsky Nutcracker Complete Ballet
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Pytor Illych Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker - Complete Ballet | |||||||||||
 
| 80% Recommended by our customers. Label: Philips Catalog: Music Release date: 1998-10-20 Media: Audio CD discs number: 1 Ean: 0028946211427 Upc: 028946211427  Tip: compare prices with similar classical music CDsArtists:
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| Album tracks: (24) |
 Overture Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 1. The Christmas Tree Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 2. March Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 3. Galop and Dance of the Parents Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 4. Dance Scene - The Presents of Drosselmeyer Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 5. Scene - Grandfather Dance Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 6. Clara and the Nutcracker Act 1. Tableau 1. No. 7. The Nutcracker battles against the Army of the Mouse King - He wins and is | Act 1. Tableau 2. No. 8. In the Christmas Tree Act 1. Tableau 2. No. 9. Scene and Waltz of the Snowflakes Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 10. The Magic Castle on the Mountain of Sweets Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 11. Clara and Prince Charming Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): a. Chocolate (Spanish Dance) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): b. Coffee (Arabian Dance) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): c. Tea (Chinese Dance) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): d. Trépak (Russian Dance) | Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): e. Dance of the Reed Pipes Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 12. Character Dances (Divertissement): f. Polichinelle (The Clown) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 13. Waltz of the Flowers Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 14. Pas de deux: a. Intrada Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 14. Pas de deux: b. Variation I (Tarantella) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 14. Pas de deux: c. Variation II. (Dance of the Sugar-Plum Fairy) Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 14. Pas de deux: d. Coda Act 2. Tableau 3. No. 15. Closing Waltz - Grand Finale |
| Professional Review: |
| Although Gergiev is highly experienced in the theater, and he is leading an opera-ballet orchestra, this is definitely a concert Nutcracker. Tempos are brisk, textures streamlined, and dancers might have a good deal of difficulty keeping up with the music. For us home listeners, though, this is a superb way to hear Tchaikovsky's complete score and to remind ourselves of how much good music isn't included in the familiar suite. Gergiev justifies his reputation as an interpreter and as an orchestra leader, getting amazingly precise playing from the ensemble. Best of all, Philips has somehow crammed more than 81 minutes of superb sound onto this disc, making it a remarkable bargain. Very highly recommended! --Leslie Gerber |
| User Reviews: |
 Written on October 14, 2005 Summary: The Nutcracker This is the best purchase I have made in years! It's a historical piece as it includes all the music originally written for the Nutcracker, the quality of the recording is superb and the knowledge that it is performed by the Kirov for which it was originally written gives you that extra satisfaction. A must have for any household - my kids love it too and I will be playing it all X-Mas season ! Written on September 25, 2005 Summary: A Nutcracker that deserves more acculades Of all the recordings by Gergiev I own, I feel more than ready to consider this among his more pleasing efforts. Gergiev brings a new perspective to this well-worn Tchaiokvsy chestnut, such that it is given a more robust performance than typically given during the myriad of Christmas ballet productions. From the lightness of the overture to the weighty grandeur of the finale, Gergiev ably fleshes out the contrasting moods in the score. Adopting generally brisk speeds, he adopts continuity yet still churns out a magical performance for one to revel in the many felicities of the score. The dramatic mood is suitably conveyed in the transformation scene, and the many famous dances in the Suite are given crisp, robust readings. The two Pas de deux scenes and the various Waltzes convey a stately grandeur, especially during the Waltz of the Flowers. Yet there is also a delicacy in the Sugarplum Fairy's Dance, the Arabian Dance and the Dance of the Reed Pipes. Throughout Gergiev elicits a robust sound from the Kirov Orchestra, with a fine balance between the sections, except perhaps for the wobbly Russian brass. The Philips recording is superb, one of their best recent recordings, sumptuous yet clean and well-detailed. An added bonus is the fact that this Nutcracker only takes up one CD rather than two. Highly highly recommended, especially since this fresh and robust rendition seems destined to put other Nutcrackers to shame. P.S. This "concert" Nutcracker is different from the other balletic Nutcrackers available, but this is a fine, handsome recording on its own terms. Written on September 8, 2005 Summary: The Very Definition of Enchanting This masterpiece is the very definition of "enchanting" - it is a vibrant, playful, and thoroughly beautiful work of art. I have found no significant weaknesses with this CD, except (and this may very well be due to my own skewed expectations) the Waltz of the Flowers seems to be played a little too fast. Again, this may be due to comparing it to my hazy childhood memories of listening to Tchaikovsky on audio tape. I *believe* this is the best all-around recording available, but please correct me if I am mistaken - I wouldn't mind adding another Tchaikovsky to my collection.  Written on August 23, 2005 Summary: Don't Let The Word KIROV Fool You! There are a zillion recordings of "The Nutcracker", whether complete or of excerpts, and for ballet theatre many of these recordings are useless. Alot of famous symphonic conductors have had a hand at recording ballet music, and at least to ballet dancers (the people they were written for) mostly without success - for example Seiji Ozawa conducting "Swan Lake" is like Adam Sandler performing Shakespeare. What makes one a great conductor of symphonic music does not necessarily make one a good conductor of ballet music, and only a very small percentage of the conductors of any recording of "The Nutcracker" have ever conducted a live performance of the work. As a ballet dancer, historian, and a collector of 19th century ballet music, I must say that this is the most appalling recording I have ever heard of "The Nutcracker". Mind you, it is not because of the quality of performance from the orchestra, but of the way the music is handled by Gergiev when conducting so sacred an orchestra as the Kirov/Mariinsky. I find it interesting that Victor Fedotov, perhaps the greatest conductor of ballet music in modern times, conductor of nearly every ballet performance at the Mariinsky Theatre for over 30 years, who was still alive when this recording was produced, was not the one chosen to conduct this recording. Would it not make sense to have the ballet conductor conduct the ballet orchestra in a recording of the ballet music??? The fact that this ballet was all jam-packed onto one CD should be a dead give away as to how horribly raced through and edited the music. This recording has rushed, mathematically maintained tempi (the usual defect with recorded ballet music in the hands of a symphonic conductor), an over bearing brass section, edited passages (optional repeats) - the potential the music has that usually only a ballet conductor can give it is completely gone, as the music is in no way allowed to breathe. One reviewer on this page says "Tchaikovsky is said to have written the work originaly in a faster tempo than is usualy performed. However, over the years, dancers complained about the brisk pace at which they were to perform. And so, the tempo is now played slower." This statement is horribly incorrect. "The Nutcracker" was written as all 19th century ballet was written - to order - Tchaikovsky was given instructions on what to write by Marius Petipa, and such inctructions like "allegro moderato", etc. is nowhere to be found in the variations, as ballet music of the period was played at the preferred speed of the dancer. Whatever Gergiev's strengths are as a conductor of opera or symphony, they are sorely lacking in his conducting of ballet music (Gergiev rarely conducts ballets at the Mariinsky, and it isnt his favorite thing to do) and this recording of "The Nutcracker", just like Gergiev's recording of "The Sleeping Beauty" shows this. The best recording of "The Nutcracker" you can get is by Richard Bonynge with the National Philharmonic Orchestra. He conducts exactly as the music would be for the stage, and the recording is well balanced, without one section drowning out another. Also there is Sir Chalres Mackares's recording with the London Symphony for the Pacific Northwest Ballet's movie version of "The Nutcracker". Another is by Eugene Ormandy with the Philedelphia Orchestra, though only excerpts.  Written on May 3, 2005 Summary: Unpolished performance I am an avid fan of the Tchaikovsky ballets and seem to have collected a few recordings of all three. I can generally find something new or interesting about each of my recordings, but I have to say that Gergiev with the Kirov Orchestra has brought very little to the table (despite the Penguin Guide's rave review). I will not complain about the fast tempos, as I understand Gergiev's rationale for presenting the ballet as a symphonic work (and it IS nice to have this entire ballet on one disc). However, my major gripe is the quality of this performance. The Kirov Orchestra generally produces fine recordings (see, e.g., Gergiev's account of Tchaikovsky's "Sleeping Beauty"), but here there are many problems. The brass section sounds quite unstable throughout the ballet--the trumpets miss notes in the "Battle Scene" and the lower brass section often lags behind the woodwinds and strings. The strings sound a bit frantic in the fast sections, and they do not always play with the precision that the Kirov strings are known for. Finally, the woodwind solo playing is unimpressive (although I wouldn't say "bad"). Having said all that, there are some great moments in this recording worth mentioning. The Overture is fresh and simple, and Gergiev succeeds in bringing passion to "The Christmas Tree" Scene (Act I, Scene 8) without making it syrupy. Also, the recording engineers succeeded admirably in making the sound crystal clear (perhaps making the orchestra's imprecision that much more evident). I do appreciate Gergiev's attempt at making this an energetic one-disc performance, and there is much passion and excitement throughout. But that is all ruined for me by the orchestra's lack of technical accuracy and discipline. The Nutcracker may sound whimsical at times, but it is a difficult ballet to perform well. And when you buy a recording, you hear all the mistakes every single time you listen to it. One or two mistakes are understandable, but this many begin to nag at the listener. I just don't think there is much of an excuse for such an unpolished performance to get by on a studio recording. I cannot recommend this recording in light of the many other fantastic ones out there. Try, for example Sir Charles Mackerras/London Symphony Orchestra (my personal favorite) or Charles Dutoit/Montreal Symphony Orchestra. Mackerras's orchestra plays with vigor and unfaltering accuracy, and Dutoit's warm, romantic sound is quite pleasing to the ear. |
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| Catalog | Music | Music | Music |
| Release date | 1998-10-20 | 2004-06-01 | 2004-08-10 |
| Media | Audio CD | Audio CD | Audio CD |
| discs number | 1 | 2 | 2 |
| Format | - | Original recording remastered | Original recording remastered |
| Ean | 0028946211427 | 0724358554120 | 0724358578829 |
| Upc | 028946211427 | 724358554120 | 724358578829 |
| Link to shop* (opens in a new window) | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* | BUY IT NOW* |
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