9.30
Building a Library: Edward Seckerson compares recordings of Tchaikovsky's ballet music, The Nutcracker - and picks a favourite.
Tchaikovsky's ballet music, The Nutcracker, has become an annual Christmas crowd-pleaser around the World,. Particularly popular is the Suite that Tchaikovsky created from the second act of the ballet, which includes many of his most-loved tunes like the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers. The ballet is based on a highly simplified version of ETA Hoffmann's story 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', adapted for the ballet stage by Alexandre Dumas.
The ballet was originally premiered on 18th December 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and it was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Despite its popularity today, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker was received with mixed views at its premiere, not least because critics didn't believe the libretto to be faithful to the Hoffmann tale. Whilst the dancing was criticised, Tchaikovsky's score was praised for its richness and melodic ingenuity throughout.
Available recordings:-
Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Werner Andreas Albert *
Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris, Alain Altinoglu (DVD/Blu-ray)
L'Orchestre da la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy *
Orchestra and Chorus of the National Opera of Ukraine, Oleksiy Baklan (DVD/Blu-ray)
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (DVD/Blu-ray)
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
Berliner Philharmoniker, Semyon Bychkov
Orchestre Colonne & Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Edmon Colomer (DVD)
Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Paul Connelly (DVD/Blu-ray)
London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Minneapolis SO, Antál Dorati
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit *
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Ermler
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Vladimir Fedoseyev
Dutch National Ballet & Holland Symfonia, Ermanno Florio (DVD/Blu-ray)
Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (SACD)
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (DVD)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Boris Gruzin (DVD/Blu-ray)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Järvi (SACD)
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski (SACD)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Koen Kessels (DVD/Blu-ray)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Dmitrij Kitajenko
Bolshoi Ballet, Pavel Klinichev (DVD/Blu-ray)
London Symphony Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, David Maninov
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev *
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle (DVD/Blu-ray)
Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Robert Reimer (DVD)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Arthur Rodzinski
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky *
Royal Opera House Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (DVD)
Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra, Renat Salavatov (DVD)
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin *
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Evgeni Svetlanov (DVD)
Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, Alexander Vedernikov (SACD)
Dresden Staatskapelle, Hans Vonk *
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Martin West (DVD/Blu-ray)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Barry Wordsworth (DVD/Blu-ray)
* = download only
Building a Library: Edward Seckerson compares recordings of Tchaikovsky's ballet music, The Nutcracker - and picks a favourite.
Tchaikovsky's ballet music, The Nutcracker, has become an annual Christmas crowd-pleaser around the World,. Particularly popular is the Suite that Tchaikovsky created from the second act of the ballet, which includes many of his most-loved tunes like the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Waltz of the Flowers. The ballet is based on a highly simplified version of ETA Hoffmann's story 'The Nutcracker and the Mouse King', adapted for the ballet stage by Alexandre Dumas.
The ballet was originally premiered on 18th December 1892 at the Imperial Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg, and it was choreographed by Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov. Despite its popularity today, Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker was received with mixed views at its premiere, not least because critics didn't believe the libretto to be faithful to the Hoffmann tale. Whilst the dancing was criticised, Tchaikovsky's score was praised for its richness and melodic ingenuity throughout.
Available recordings:-
Queensland Symphony Orchestra, Werner Andreas Albert *
Orchestre de l'Opera National de Paris, Alain Altinoglu (DVD/Blu-ray)
L'Orchestre da la Suisse Romande, Ernest Ansermet
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Vladimir Ashkenazy *
Orchestra and Chorus of the National Opera of Ukraine, Oleksiy Baklan (DVD/Blu-ray)
Staatskapelle Berlin, Daniel Barenboim (DVD/Blu-ray)
National Philharmonic Orchestra, Richard Bonynge
Berliner Philharmoniker, Semyon Bychkov
Orchestre Colonne & Béjart Ballet Lausanne, Edmon Colomer (DVD)
Orchester der Wiener Staatsoper, Paul Connelly (DVD/Blu-ray)
London Symphony Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Minneapolis SO, Antál Dorati
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Antal Dorati
Los Angeles Philharmonic, Gustavo Dudamel
Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal, Charles Dutoit *
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden, Mark Ermler
Tchaikovsky Symphony Orchestra of Moscow Radio, Vladimir Fedoseyev
Dutch National Ballet & Holland Symfonia, Ermanno Florio (DVD/Blu-ray)
Kirov Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (SACD)
Mariinsky Orchestra, Valery Gergiev (DVD)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Boris Gruzin (DVD/Blu-ray)
Bergen Philharmonic Orchestra, Neeme Järvi (SACD)
State Academic Symphony Orchestra of Russia "Evgeny Svetlanov", Vladimir Jurowski (SACD)
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Koen Kessels (DVD/Blu-ray)
Gürzenich-Orchester Köln, Dmitrij Kitajenko
Bolshoi Ballet, Pavel Klinichev (DVD/Blu-ray)
London Symphony Orchestra, Charles Mackerras
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, David Maninov
Boston Symphony Orchestra, Seiji Ozawa
Russian National Orchestra, Mikhail Pletnev *
London Symphony Orchestra, André Previn
Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, Sir Simon Rattle
Berliner Philharmoniker, Sir Simon Rattle (DVD/Blu-ray)
Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin, Robert Reimer (DVD)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Arthur Rodzinski
Bolshoi Theatre Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky *
Royal Opera House Orchestra, Gennady Rozhdestvensky (DVD)
Royal Swedish Opera Orchestra, Renat Salavatov (DVD)
Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra, Leonard Slatkin *
Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Sir Georg Solti
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Evgeni Svetlanov (DVD)
Orchestra of the Bolshoi Theatre Moscow, Alexander Vedernikov (SACD)
Dresden Staatskapelle, Hans Vonk *
San Francisco Ballet Orchestra, Martin West (DVD/Blu-ray)
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Barry Wordsworth
Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Barry Wordsworth (DVD/Blu-ray)
* = download only
Comment