Customer Reviews

Tchaikovsky: The 3 Ballets

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In the Double-Decca issue of Swan Lake, the danse des coupes in Swan Lake has been cunningly abridged to free up space for the accomodation of the unnumbered Russian dance in Act III. So while all the numbers are included in that double-disc set, making it "officially" complete, score-wise it actually isn't!

What this means is that if you to wish to have Bonynge's Swan Lake absolutely complete you will have to buy THIS 6-disc set, and not that abridged Double-Decca issue. This is important, especially if the danse des coupes is one of your favorite pieces.

Tchaikovsky's three ballets may well be his finest works. Each is a masterpiece of melody, orchestration, and compelling atmosphere. Together they represent a body of music of such a level of genius as to be worthy to stand with such other great collections as Beethoven's symphonies and Chopin's piano music. The performances of these ballets by Richard Bonynge and the National Philharmonic Orchestra (an all-star London recording group) are simply superb. If you like music from the height of the Romantic era -- or simply great music, regardless of era -- treat yourself to this outstanding set.

Everything, or nearly everything, is basically right with this set. The direction shows insight, the playing is of a high quality, the balance between vigour and languor is tipped slightly in favour of vigour and I believe that to be the right balance, and the recorded quality from the mid-70's is still quite acceptable to my ears. Moreover the set purports to be absolutely complete, with a couple of later additions included in Swan Lake as well as the Sleeping Beauty given uncut, something I am told is unusual. As a very welcome bonus the liner note is distinctly above average for its informative and lucid content, although it would have been nice to know who actually wrote the material to start with and not just who translated it into German and French. All that is missing, at least in Swan Lake and the Sleeping Beauty, is a certain aura, the sense of magic that should surround this music of all music.

That is the executive summary, so to speak. That's what the rest of this notice will boil down to, but if you would like a little amplification of the conclusion let me suggest the following. Bonynge's approach suits the Nutcracker best. That in turn suits me, because the Nutcracker is my favourite of the three ballets, and I also believe it to contain the best music of the three, which I hope is a different proposition and not just another way of saying the same thing. From all the 150 or so numbers on these 6 discs my outright top favourite is the Pas de Deux for the Prince and the Sugar Plum Fairy. Did any composer ever get so much melody out of a simple descending scale? This is given everything I would wish for it - heart and soul, passion and commitment. In fact the Nutcracker comes somewhere near my ideal in general, even the recording (the earliest of the three) is probably the best, and the orchestral playing is definitely, not probably, the best too. Particularly in Swan Lake, but to some extent in the Sleeping Beauty too, there is a hint of coarseness, or to use a more neutral term `extroversion', to the trumpet or cornet solos, and when I am in my pernickety moods I like all the timpani rolls played evenly, not just some of them.

Overall, it is just a little more straightforward than I might have preferred. I agree emphatically that continuity and forward momentum must not be sacrificed to any kind of `expressiveness', and Bonynge gets that much right. Moreover the `ballroom' dances - the n waltzes, the gavottes, foxtrots and whatnot - have a real foot-tapping sense to them, and that is as it should be. Not just that, many of the more tender and mysterious sequences, such as the entr'acte for Aurora's long sleep and indeed the familiar `duckpond' stuff from Swan Lake, are beautifully done. I'm trying to keep this matter in some proper perspective and proportion - this is a very sound set of performances, and better than just `sound' in important respects. It has quality, and my guess is that it will wear well. It's just not, let's say, Beecham.

Why would most music-lovers buy a set like this - 6 discs with every last note of Tchaikovsky's ballets among them? At a guess, for much the same reason that I bought it. This is going to be high-quality, comfortable background music down the years, and very reasonably priced at that. Minutiae of playing, interpretation, expression, recorded sound and all the rest of it will recede into unimportance. I am not going to be troubled, or even visited, by the thought that Boulez can bring more of the magic I crave to the Rite of Spring than I find brought to more obvious candidates for the magic treatment here. All of this long set is perfectly fit for purpose, and Der Nussknacker is more than just that.

As I read in another review of a work conducted by Richard Bonynge, you don't expect this distinguished conductor of operas to record ballets, but what a surprise is in store for us. The combination of the complete scores of the three ballets, the National Philharmonic Orchestra (a pseudonym for one of the London orchestras) and the ideal recording venue of Kingsway Hall gives Bonynge just the team for him to conduct a thoroughly precise and compelling version of Tchaikovsky's magical scores. And at this price they are a gift!

This recording is like butter melting on pancakes, or a really good hot chocolate or fine wine. This set presents Tchaikovsky's ballets in their best light. In the past month I have listened to a few different popular recordings of these three ballets, and this one beats them all by a hundred miles. I was getting goosebumps during some scenes that had made me cringe on other recordings. As for the sound quality, it sounds wonderful to me; at some points I could even hear the 'whish' of the bows. Even better, these were conducted for dancers, not just for listeners. LOVE IT!!

Richard Bonynge is a master conducting stage music. His ballet repertoire is extensive and
very well preserved in record. His recordings are always a top reference in the best known
classical ballets. Tchaikovsky's ballets are a Bonynge's speciality and this album is a great
chance to get the three great ballets. Sleeping Beauty is the highlight in this anthology,
that could be still considered as the best on record. This is the ideal choice for anyone
who wants the three ballets in just one album.

Richard Bonygne, the ultimate opera conductor, conducting for his wife, Joan Sutherland. Many people thought that. Strangely enough, he resurrected a ballet by Offenbach, that no one had heard of before. Maybe we should have gotten a hint from that, but we always thought of him as the husband of the prima coloratura of the age.

I have to say it, "Welcome Sir Richard, the Ballet Conductor."

I have listened to a number of recordings of ballet, which I love as dearly as I do opera. For Tchaikovsky, Delibes, and Offenbach Sir Richard conducts them with a touch that I have not heard bettered by Berstein and many of the most respected conductors of the era. He performs Tchaikovsky like Szell performed
Beethoven. It is superlative. One almost wonders (flippantly) why he didn't pursue Margot Fonteyn instead of Joan Sutherland.

El trabajo de Bonynge en los tres ballets de tchaikovsky es sensacional. A pesar de tratarse de grabaciones ADD, el sonido que se obtiene es casi perfecto, además de que el ritmo de todos los movimientos es el ideal para su interpretación en ballet. El precio de estos discos los hacen una verdadera ganga.

The musical performances are absolutely first class, but they were recorded from April 1974 - March 1977 and needless to say the recordings have significant noise and distortion. The technology of recording has come a long way in the last 30 years. If sound quality doesn't bother you, get this set of recordings, the performances ARE wonderful. If however, sound quality does play an important part of your musical experience, opt for a more recent recording.

Richard Bonynge at his best!