Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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43 of 43 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Superb!, December 10, 2001
There are many fine complete Nutcracker recordings available, and I own a few of them. This recording by The Kirov Orchestra conducted by Valery Gergiev is simply the best, no contest. Why? For starters, the orchestral playing is outstanding. Every detail is heard, you hear nuances never revealed before. The woodwinds bubble,... the brass are assertive yet smooth,... the strings are lovely and lush;... in all, first-rate playing from a superb Russian orchestra that has this music in their blood and plays it with spirit and total enjoyment. Tempi are brisk, but never feel rushed. The sound is in the demonstration class. The whole ballet is contained on one CD which is quite remarkable. I judge an outstanding performance and recording by several factors, which include tears of joy welling up in my eyes along with goosebumps. This Nutcracker provided me an ample supply of both. If you must only own one Nutcracker, this is it. Superlative recommendation.
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50 of 53 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Simply the best!, November 21, 2001
Never before has the complete Nutcracker ballet been presented on one cd. Right there, is a perfect reason to buy this right away. Beyond that, you're sure to be amazed as I was at the sound quality of this recording. I was astonished at how live the recording sounded. My mouth hung agape through most of my first listen (no kidding)! It's as if I was trasported into a great hall hearing the clarity, wieght and purity of the music in person. Astounding!Further, the entire piece seems to have been imbued with some new life force that makes it demand your attention. It's more than the clarity of sound, it's the soul and love behind it. You can hear that, and it makes an indellible impression! If you love the ballet, music in general or are an audiophile, you simply can't be without this astonishing recording. Pop it in the cd player and prepare to experience first hand some real life, Christmas magic!
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33 of 34 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
ANOTHER 5 STARS!, December 19, 1999
Bravo! Gergiev and the Kirov Orchestra have again demonstrated that they are masters of ballet music (after all, it was the Kirov/Mariinsky that gave The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty, and the 1895 version of Swan Lake their world premieres). Compared to other recordings of this ballet, such as Mark Ermler's (Royal Opera House Orchestra) or Richard Bonynge's (National Philharmonic Orchestra), the tempo of Gergiev's Nutcracker appears to be too fast on first hearing; but it doesn't take long to get used to it. Once you get past that initial shock, this recording is very exciting to listen to. Gergiev conducts with the usual gusto. The Kirov Orchestra's sound is actually more refined here than in many of its other recordings. This may owe to the fact that the performance was recorded in the studio, not at the Mariinsky, which doesn't seem to have good acoustics; or that maybe the Kirov musicians have better instruments now; or that the Philips engineers have finally improved their recording techniques. Though both Bonynge's and Ermler's performance have more danceable tempos, they lack the expressive power that Gergiev is able to generate. In addition, this is a 1-CD recording of the entire ballet (only the repeat in the Grandfather Dance has been left out--not a big deal in my opinion), which makes it especially attractive to get. But for whatever reason, get this recording without delay!
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